| Prayers confront fear, evil By Erik Alsgaard UMConnection Staff  On Oct. 24, police apprehended two men, ending a three-week span of sniper violence that stretched across Montgomery and Prince Georges counties, Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia. The shootings began Oct. 2. Before they ended, 13 people were shot and 10 died, including James Martin, a United Methodist from Ashton UMC in Rockville. Through it all, United Methodists prayed. Religious leaders in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area gathered Oct. 22 to offer prayer and support for community and law enforcement officials investigating the shootings. Faith UMC in Rockville, located just blocks from Montgomery County police headquarters and near several of the shooting scenes, hosted the event. Bishop Felton Edwin May led a worship service of healing, hope and peace. He also moderated a press conference in the churchs courtyard before the service. The evening was jointly sponsored by the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington and the Mayors Interfaith Council of Washington. I see the fear in peoples eyes, the bishop said to the media. I sense the anxiety in peoples souls. It is for such a time as this that community becomes even more important. We must band together to offer each other our care and support; to let each other know that violence in any form is not acceptable and that the most important thing we have in life is each other. Bishop May also addressed the fears being felt by children, especially poignant in light of the information released by Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose, that the sniper apparently had left a note saying that no children are safe, anywhere, anytime. Children are keenly aware of what is happening around them, the bishop said, and they ask questions, they sense the fear and the anxiety of disrupted routines. May said that the religious community was gathering in prayer this night, to say we care, we love you, and were doing our best as responsible adults to make this a safe world. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of the Archdiocese of Washington called the nation to a time of prayer. During the worship service, attended by nearly 250 people, prayers were offered in several faith traditions and languages. Representatives of the law enforcement community, victims families, the religious community, teachers and students and the entire community lit candles placed on the altar as prayers were offered. As each candle was lit, individual worshippers lit their own candles until the sanctuary was filled with light.  Sapna Kumar, 9, a member of Good Shepherd UMC in Silver Spring, sang the solo This Little Light of Mine. The entire congregation then joined in the familiar tune. Bishop Mays benediction charged the congregation to light a light rather than curse the darkness, and to take their own lights of peace and hope out to the world. Speaking during the press conference was Montgomery County Chief Executive Doug Duncan, Prince Georges County Executive Wayne Curry, Anthony Williams, mayor of Washington, D.C., Rabbi David Shneyer of the Am Kolel Community, and Dr. Rajwant Singh, representing the Sikh faith community. Duncan thanked the religious leaders for calling the community to prayer and for bringing people together for worship. We need all the prayer we can get, he said after the service. None of us are safe. Thats the sad reality that weve been faced with since Oct. 2. Williams, speaking to the press, quoted from Romans 8:38. Neither death nor life, neither height nor depth, can separate us from the love of God, the mayor said. Curry, noting that the latest apparent victim of the sniper was killed in Montgomery County but was a resident of neighboring Prince Georges County, said that these shootings were a reminder of how fragile life is and the importance of family and community. All of us in the faith community will do our best to help you beyond our prayers, said Bishop May. He also noted that several of the organizations at the prayer service have counselors available to both the community and law enforcement officials. I strongly urge people who are suffering fear, anxiety, or loss of hope to take that first step and talk with their rabbi, cleric, priest or pastor, he said. | 
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