Religious Leaders Council Unites for "Toll the Bell" Community Initiative 

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Rev. Sarah Hedgis, Rector of St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Rev. Edward Livingston, Director of Religious Community Initiatives, and Rev. Dr. Jay Gardner, Zones of Peace Coordinator at Interfaith Philadelphia honor victims of gun violence at Toll the Bell event. 

On National Gun Violence Awareness Day, Friday, June 7, 2024, Philadelphia united for Toll the Bell, an initiative organized to raise awareness and honor victims of gun violence.

Held in collaboration with Interfaith Philadelphia’s Religious Leaders Council, this city-wide event engaged over 40 partners, including faith-based sites and community organizations. A midday vigil service at the Annenberg Center in West Philadelphia featured prayers and reflections by these members of the Religious Council: Bishop Patricia Davenport, Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod ELCA; Kavneet Singh Pannu, American Sikh Council; Rabbi Shawn Zevit, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association; and Bishop Peter Hwang, Council of Korean Churches of Greater Philadelphia.

The day continued with a Toll the Bell Sound Installation where bells, and other sources of sound, echoed simultaneously throughout the city for five minutes to remember victims of gun violence and call people to action. 

Toll the Bell was not just one event; it is an invitation to act, to remember the lives shattered by gun violence, and to highlight the efforts of those striving to make a positive difference in Philadelphia. “The rise in gun violence is ripping apart families and public life," said Rev. Edward Livingston, Interfaith Philadelphia’s Director of Religious Community Initiatives. “We stand with all who seek peace. We call on one another for the healing of our communal fractures, and the mending of our personal wounds. The bell rings for all manner of people to stand tall as partners to repair what is broken, so that we may flourish as one Philly.”

Learn more about the Religious Leaders Council of Greater Philadelphia here.

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Blog written by Maya Lanzisera


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