Sisters and Brothers in Christ, 

 

Each week last year, the congregation of First & Franklin Presbyterian Church lifted up the names of Baltimore City's homicide victims.  We not only spoke their names aloud but we prayed for their families and hung purple ribbons outside our building --  one for each person killed and the life, story, and family they represented.  As 2017 came to an end, we asked ourselves what the next appropriate step might be; how we could move beyond awareness to some level of action that addresses  the systemic issues that have resulted in the city's ever-increasing homicide rate.

We invite you and members of your congregation to join a coalition from First & Franklin and Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD)) on Thursday, January 18 for a trip to Annapolis to meet with our state representatives.  Each elected official will receive a purple ribbon for lives lost to violence in his or her district last year.

Please join us . . .

There will be one or more buses leaving from First and Franklin Presbyterian Church at 210 W. Madison Street at 4pm. There is no cost for bus transportation but participants are requested to email First and Franklin to secure a bus seat.  The buses will  return to Baltimore late Thursday evening. 

As a city, we grieve each of the 343 lives lost to violence last year.  We are 11 days into this new year, and already we have lost 9 lives. We are weary of violence. To our leaders, we must ask: What is going to change for 2018? What is your plan?    

For further information, contact First & Franklin Presbyterian Church at 410.728.5545 or email [email protected] .