Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Chants of "We pray to increase the peace in our streets" and "There will be no silence... until we end the violence" radiated loud throughout the City of Buffalo as leaders of the Church of God in Christ marched on Jefferson Avenue alongside East Buffalo residents to remember the 10 lives lost during the Tops mass shooting on May 14, 2022.
Leaders of the country's largest Pentecostal denomination, the Church of God in Christ Inc. (COGIC), gathered with East Buffalo residents and the religious community to not only remember and honor the lives of the 10 black people who were killed by a white supremacist, but to spread the message that through unity, peace and the continued work of the community, real change will start to take shape.
"To raise hope, promote peace and demonstrate solidarity among the faith community, but also to provide a visible symbol of agreement and to blanket the community with a protective covering through faith, in the blood of Jesus Christ. The Church of God in Christ stands in agreement and unity for God to provide a divine covering from senseless deaths, especially racially-motivated, acts of hate and offer the covering of the preservation of life through the blood of Jesus Christ," said COGIC General Council of Pastors and Elders Chairman Pastor Michael Eaddy.
The organization took time to mourn all of the men and women who passed, some were members of the national church, such as Pearl Young, a member of the Good Samaritan COGIC and Sunday School Teacher, Heyward Patterson, a State Tabernacle COGIC Member and Aaron Salter Jr., the Tops Security Officer and Upper Room COGIC Member.
Pearl Young's Sunday School students were some of the many who marched Tuesday morning.
"We want them to remember her in a positive way, as we remember her in a positive way, and support everybody who suffered a loss that day," says Andrea Bowman, niece of Pearl Young.
This event serves as an opening for the church's General Council of Pastors and Elders Conference, a 4-day series of workshops and church services designed to build stronger ministries and families. The event will be the first national meeting hosted in Western NY in over 40 years.
