wfn.org | UMNS# 05147-Ministry blesses murder scenes to reclaim spaces from

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Ministry blesses murder scenes to reclaim spaces from violence

Mar. 10, 2005	 News media contact:   Fran  Walsh * (615) 742-5458*
Nashville {05147}

NOTE: A UMTV report and photographs are available at
http://www.umc.org/interior.asp?mid=6928.

By Kim Riemland*

TACOMA, Wash. (UMNS)-The yellow crime tape had been removed, but a
disturbing sense of sadness, loss and tragedy hovered over the tidy,
white house on a quiet street.

The man who lived here with his wife and son was accused of stabbing
them both last December. The 8-year-old boy survived and called for
help, but his mother died. While the man was arrested for the crime, the
neighborhood struggled to deal with the aftermath.

That is why pastors of Associated Ministries stood in front of the home
one chilly evening several weeks later for a powerfully symbolic act.
Joined by neighbors who knew the family, a police officer who didn't and
anyone who was touched by the tragedy, the pastors officiated over a
ceremony designed to help heal wounds left by violent crime and reclaim
spaces tainted by fear, anger and pain.

"We come together this day to reclaim this space of death as a place of
life," declared the Rev. Julia Price, pastor of the United Methodist
Church at Lakewood, a Tacoma suburb.

Associated Ministries launched its "Moments of Blessing" ministry in
1999, based on similar ministries in Indianapolis and Rochester, N.Y.
The idea has since spread to Seattle and Olympia, Wash.

"Moments of Blessing is about going into spaces in the community that
are seen as dark and alienating, and bringing them back and reclaiming
them as places of life and hope," said the Rev. David Alger, executive
director of Associated Ministries. The program represents more than 200
congregations, religious groups and interfaith partners in the Tacoma
area. "The community has taken a great deal of interest in it."

Although acknowledging each homicide victim with a red ribbon and with
words, the ceremony focuses on blessing the place. The service is
generally brief. Prayers are recited, scripture read, water sprinkled
and people invited to express their thoughts about the victim, the crime
and how their lives were impacted.

"It's a wonderful and powerful experience for those who take part," said
Price, who has led several Moments of Blessing in the Lakewood area. "I
think it's meaningful to people to know that the community remembers
their loss and grieves with them-that it is willing to pause and offer a
moment to heal and bless this spot."

Bettye Clark says the service provided some closure for her family in
the wake of the murder of her 22-year-old nephew, Ranique Mosely, in
November 2003. Authorities said Mosely was just in the wrong place at
the wrong time when he was shot by a stranger at a bowling alley.

"We had pretty much avoided that whole area. I didn't even like to drive
by there," Clark said. "This was a chance for us to come together with
his friends and the people he hung out with and remember him. It was
very personal. My sister (Mosely's mother) was so grateful. And one
thing that really touched me is how even strangers came to be with us."

Attendance at such services has ranged from about 350 to just two. The
murder sites have included houses, apartments, open streets,
restaurants, motels and parking lots.

"We once gathered in a railroad tunnel where a homeless man was beaten
to death," Alger recalled. "It was a difficult spot to get to, and a
number of people from the homeless community joined us."

Another memorable spot was a motel room where a woman had been killed.
"The motel hadn't been able to use the room since the homicide because
the people who worked there refused to go into the room," Alger said.
"But once they were there for the blessing, they felt better about it."

Pastors generally emphasize the ritualistic aspects of the service and
wear robes and stoles. The liturgy includes a responsive reading of the
Beatitudes in Matthew 5.

"The cleansing of space is really important to a lot of people," Alger
said. "It's a community saying, 'We are about life and hope, and we
reclaim this space in the name of Christ and in the name of hope.' That
really does speak to people.

"It's also a way of literally taking the church to the street so that
people see the church. People often comment that it's so good to see the
church here."

# # #

News media contact: Fran Coode Walsh, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470
or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org