Churches Offer Comfort in the Aftermath of London Blasts
Christian leaders joined in prayer and provided what aid they could offer in the aftermath of London’s terrorist bombings, as police raised the death toll to 50 on Friday.
Christian leaders joined in prayer and provided what aid they could offer in the aftermath of London’s terrorist bombings, as police raised the death toll to 50 on Friday.
"We've got signs out saying the chapel is open for prayer. People are here to offer help and support to those in distress. We're just offering what we can,” the Rev. Tony Miles told the United Methodist News Service Thursday.
Miles, pastor at the Methodist Central Hall located several miles from the blasts, said the church opened its chapel and restaurant to anyone who needed support and practical help.
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Meanwhile Kings Cross Methodist Church, located across the street from the train station where one of the bombs exploded, began serving tea and providing comfort to the wounded or stranded.
"We didn't hear the blast but we heard the sirens, and as soon as we knew what was going on, we opened up and started serving cups of tea," said Deacon Janice Hacon to the UMNS. "Some people were brought here to wait for ambulances, while others found their way to us on their own."
According to police, the death toll from the bombs rose to more than 50 by Friday, but emergency service hadn’t yet been able to reach all of the dead. Officials also raised the injured count to over 700, with 22 in critical conditions.
Outside the train stations where the bombs exploded, passer-bys prayed and left flowers to bereave the dead. Commuters, meanwhile, reluctantly returned to the Underground – though in fewer numbers.
Christian leaders from across denominational lines also offered their prayers and urged Christians to maintain a spirit of peace and mercy rather than of anger toward any one group.
"Peace is the only way to achieve justice for all," said Samuel Kobia, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches. "This kind of event is a call to all of us, churches, other religious organizations and the whole of humanity to strengthen our commitment to building a just and peaceful world where all human beings may feel secure and safe in their homes, in their cities and communities."
Following the attacks Thursday, a previously unknown group calling itself the “Group of al Qaeda of Jidah Organization in Europe,” released a statement claiming responsibility for the bombings. Officials were unable to confirm the authenticity of the statement, which was posted on a Web site connected to Islamic radicals.
"We will be looking into that as well as any other leads, but at the moment we don't know if that's a genuine claim or not," said Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick.
Meanwhile, Rev. Bob Edgar, top staff executive of the National Council of Churches in the United States, pointedly said even if the bombings were tied to religious extremists, many in the Muslim community “thoroughly and unequivocally condemn such violence.”
"While we recognize that religion is sometimes used to legitimize such acts of violence, we together with other mainstream religious organizations, including many in the Muslim community, thoroughly and unequivocally condemn such violence and enjoin all religious communities to pursue peace in a thousand ways," said Edgar.
