North America

Statement on Umpqua Community College Shooting

Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America responds to shooting in the U.S. state of Oregon.

Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | North American Division

The President of The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America Daniel R. Jackson, issued the following statement on October 2, 2015 in response to the deadly shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon:

"The Seventh-day Adventist church in North America is heartbroken that once again a gunman has taken nine precious lives in a mass school shooting. We extend our deepest condolences and prayers to the families of the nine people killed, the many wounded, and the students, faculty and staff of Umpqua Community College. We also pray for the community of Roseburg and the heartache they are experiencing as a result of this tragedy."

It is difficult to believe that a great nation like the United States must once again mourn the loss of God's children whose lives have been senselessly taken at the hands of a mass shooting. Surely, this nation, that has become a beacon of hope and opportunity for scores of people, can be a land where all feel safe from the violence of firearms. "

It is time for our society to engage in open, honest, civil, and productive conversation about finding solutions to put and end once and for all to gun violence. We pray that this tragedy will bring about much needed change and address the pandemic of gun violence. "

We pray for the day when children and adults can attend school without fear. We pray for the day when, as the Prophet Isaiah promises, "They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore."

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