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In response to gun violence ...
Lord, hear our grief…We pray for the lives lost in Gilroy, California, El Paso, Texas, Dayton, Ohio and Chicago, Illinois, which join the climbing number of those lost to gun violence in America.
Comfort the mourning, the grieving, the broken-hearted.
Compel our prayers to turn into actions.
May the triggers of our streets be beaten into plowshares.
May the triggers of our hearts be met with the open arms of our neighbors.
May we trust in the transformative power of your refining fire.
Forge us to be instruments of your peace.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
May our posture be of a readiness to steady a plowshare.
May we take hold of your olive branch that plots for peace.
May the plowshare break the earth of senseless violence.
May the furrows bring us a harvest of solace, a never-ending rest from violence.
May we sit under the vine and fig, on earth as it is in heaven.
May it be so. Amen
-- By Mennonite Church USA Staff with Michael Martin, director of RAWtools
Action items for churches to #Bringthepeace in response to gun violence

• Use “A Loaded Conversation: An Invitation to Talk About Guns,” the dialogue resource from Mennonite Central Committee U.S. and RAWtools.
• Become a part of the RAWtools Disarming network to help facilitate gun donations in your community.
• Donate your gun to be turned into a garden tool.
• Become aware of the legislation at your local, state and federal level and use your collective voice for change.
• Be aware of suicide prevention organizations in your area.
• Use Restorative Justice practices for conflict mediation.

Who we are at First Mennonite Church of Iowa City ...
​We believe that God calls us to be followers of Jesus Christ and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to grow as a community of grace, joy, and peace, so that God's healing and hope flow through us to the world.

At First Mennonite Church (FMC) we are a historic peace church, striving to be an Anabaptist community-- young, old, families, friends-- that, by the grace of God, is shaped by the life of Christ, which acts with the compassion of Christ, and worships in the name of Christ.

Please explore our website and get to know a little bit about us, keeping in mind that there is no substitute for experiencing our services and activities in person.  We welcome you to join us in the hope you too might experience God's astounding grace and the call to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. 

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UPCOMING SERVICES:
August 25 - Worship, Karla Stoltzfus Detweiler, proclaimer
September 1 - Worship & Communion, Terry Zimmerly, proclaimer
September 8 - Worship, Karen Martens Zimmerly, proclaimer

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