LOWELL, Mich. — Lowell United Methodist Church has created a memorial in remembrance of the 21 lives lost to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, last week.
Twenty-one chairs representing the 19 children and 2 adults killed in the shooting are on display outside, not only as a tribute but as a call to action.
“It just felt like we needed to do something different,” says Worship Director David Risk. “Not just the prayers and thoughts that, you know, we often send, which are important. But this … this feels different.”
Risk says the shooting had a profound impact on churchgoers and community members.
“I think there’s an anxiety level that’s higher everywhere,” says Risk. “And not just in school but churches, theaters, you know, shopping malls, grocery stores. I mean, there's not really a place that hasn't been affected.”
On the steps nearby sits artwork by area students memorializing yet another school shooting, one that still feels recent half a year later.
“Michigan was affected by a school shooting in Oxford,” Risk recalls. “We opened that up as a space for the community to come in and express themselves through art.”
The church hopes memorials like this one inspire change. “It's so easy for these things to just become another number that you hear on the news,” says Risk. “When you look over there at 19 chairs that sat 10-year-old kids, it's hard to ... it's hard to not let that sink in and feel something there.”
Risk says the community is welcome to visit the memorial, which will remain in place for the week. “Anyone that is feeling so moved can come here and light a candle, spend some time here in prayer.”
