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Feature: Associated Ministries of Tacoma-Pierce County

A Moment of Blessing: Healing Violence

The late 1990s were a very difficult time in Pierce County, Washington. The homicide rate was very high. The Hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma, home to our agency, {Associated Ministries}, was especially rough. Drive-by shootings were the norm. Gangs were flourishing. As the local ecumenical council for Tacoma / Pierce County, we were looking for ways to help heal the violence in our neighborhood and community.

In 1998 I took note of a program operated by the local council of churches in Indianapolis. Their city had a very high homicide rate. I was fascinated that their representatives were going to the sites where homicides occurred. They went there to pray and to “reclaim” the sites. We consulted with the staff in Indianapolis and, with their blessing, took their idea and created a similar program.

A Lutheran clergyman on our staff commented that it sounded to him as though we were going to be having “Moments of Blessing.” The name took hold.

Now, when we receive word that a homicide has occurred, we work with local law enforcement to obtain the pertinent information and then schedule a Moment of Blessing. We use flyers, e-mail, and the local newspaper to inform neighbors, local churches, and the general public about the time and location of the service.

Because the Pacific Northwest is not one of the most religious parts of the country, we feel it is important to be very clear about who we are. Consequently, we request participating clergy to vest for the occasion.

At each Moment of Blessing we mark the site with prayer poles. These poles carry red ribbons bearing the name of each person who has been killed since we began the Moments of Blessing. Sadly, the poles have been filled with ribbons. Our single original prayer pole is now one of four such poles.

When we gather, we brief the crowd on what is going to happen. We ask those present to participate in the liturgy. We place a small bowl of water exactly where the individual died. We draw close to one another and the worship leader begins:

"Grace and Peace to all of you in the name of our loving God. We come together at this place and at this time in grief, acknowledging the tragic loss of (name of the victim), confessing that this tragedy is in part a failure to create a safe community that is humane, compassionate, and just. . ."

We share scripture readings, then offer those gathered an opportunity to reflect. These are often powerful moments when friends and families speak; at other times no family or friends are present, but the sharing is equally poignant. As the sharing comes to an end, there is a litany and sometimes a song. Then the one or two people who have been assigned the priestly role of doing the blessing take the bowl of water. Using a small branch of greenery, they sprinkle water on the site and on those of us gathered together. The liturgist recites the following:

"We come together this day to reclaim this space of death as a place of life . . . this place where violence occurred we are reclaiming as a place of life . . . this place that causes us fear, anger, and pain we are reclaiming as a place of hope and community.

"Come, Spirit, to this place. As we sprinkle this water, come Spirit, and redeem this space and people from the violence and death that has occurred here. Return it as a safe place, a place of community, a place of life, a place of hope. Amen."

We close with a charge and benediction, but people rarely disperse very quickly. We stay together as community a while longer. Words of comfort are shared.

These are times when we connect as community. These are times when the Church is visible in a very special way. Just a few weeks ago, I stood in the cold rain with about twenty people outside a tavern on a county road near Mount Rainier. Men and women had put down their drinks and come outside to join us as we remembered one of their friends. One man stood a little off to the side. He was smoking a cigarette. As the group dispersed he came up to me and said, “God bless you for doing this.” I saw in his eyes how important it was to him that we had gathered there. I thanked him and then I thanked God for making this ministry possible.

This article, written by David Alger, was published in Ecu-Dialogue, Spring 2005. Used by permission.

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