Prayer, Action, and Response to Highland Park, IL Mass Shooting

Prayer of Lament for Mass Shootings

Lord, in our shock and confusion, we come before you.
In our grief and despair in the midst of hate,
in our sense of helplessness in the face of violence,
we lean on you.

For the families of those who have been killed we pray.
For the shooters—help us to pray, Lord.
For the communities that have lost members—their anger, grief, fear—we pray.
For the churches striving to be your light in darkness beyond our comprehension, we pray.

In the face of hatred, may we claim love, Lord.
May we love those far off and those near.
May we love those who are strangers and those who are friends.
May we love those who we agree with and understand,
and even more so, Lord, those who we consider to be our enemies.

Kyrie Eleison. Lord, have mercy.
Heal our sin-sick souls.
Make these wounds whole, Lord.

(Prayer from the Christian Reformed Church Office of Social Justice)

Good Shepherd’s Response

We mourn with Highland Park, IL, and the greater Chicagoland area lifting prayers of healing and restoration in regards to Monday’s tragedy. We compassionately stand in solidarity against the act of gun violence that leaves so many in our community heartbroken, fearful, and weary. 

Our Missions team has reached out to Highland Park churches with condolences, prayers, and an eager willingness to participate if additional needs arise.

Through the generous giving of Good Shepherd, our Missions team is currently partnered with organizations that help care for and address mental health and youth/families in crisis. We have a heart to partner with existing organizations in the Chicagoland area that are actively working towards the prevention of violence in all of its forms.

Here are some of our Mission Partners we generously contribute to and a list of their services:

  • Samaracare: We support Samaracare monthly to make available access for all to Christian psychological counseling, psychotherapy, and psychiatric treatment, as well as mental health educational/wellness programming.
  • KidsMatter:  We support KidsMatter which provides resources and a crisis hotline for students in our local community as well as support for parents.
  • The Peace Exchange Project:  We support The Peace Exchange Project through Holy Family Ministries which is a violence prevention program, created to help participants become agents of positive change in and through their communities.
  • The Naperville Police Chaplain Fund:  We support our local police giving them the tools and resources needed to respond to situations they encounter where individuals may need help or assistance. 

Community Action 

For individuals searching for ways to participate in the healing and restoration of the Highland Park community, here are some tangible ways to help:

  • Donate blood for the community impacted by emailing donateblood@northshore.org.
  • Attend a community vigil, information can be found HERE.
  • For those wanting to give financially to help those directly impacted by the mass shooting in Highland Park, the Highland Park Community Foundation has established a July 4th Highland Park Shooting Response Fund. All contributions to the Response Fund will go directly to victims and survivors or the organizations that support them. View the July 4th Highland Park Shooting Response Fund HERE.
  • NBC has a comprehensive list of how to give or receive help HERE.

All Updates