GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION
We cannot allow the volume and frequency of these events to leave us feeling numb and powerless…It is time to step outside our comfort zone. It is time to put our thoughts and prayers into action. It is time to bear witness in the public square that our country’s tolerance of inaction to this violence is itself a form of collusion with such violence. This is our call as followers of Jesus. This is what it means to become a disciple, making a difference. “
– From the Bishops’ Pastoral Letter (June 26, 2022)
CONTACT
The Rt. Rev. Samuel Rodman XII
The Rt. Rev. Samuel Rodman
XII Bishop Diocesan of North Carolina
EMAIL
The Rt. Rev. Samuel Rodman was ordained and consecrated as the XII Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina in Duke Chapel on the campus of Duke University in Durham on July 15, 2017. He was elected on March 4, 2017.
Prior to his election, Bishop Rodman served as the Special Projects Officer for the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, a role he took on after spending five years as the diocesan project manager for campaign initiatives, where he engaged congregations, clergy and laity, in collaborative local and global mission through the Together Now campaign, helping to raise $20 million to fund these initiatives. Prior to that, he spent 16 years as the rector of St. Michael’s in Milton, Massachusetts, during which the parish established a seven-year plan that included a capital campaign for a major renovation of the church school building.
Since his ordination as bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina, Bishop Rodman was called to serve The Episcopal Church as the co-convener of the Presiding Officers’ Working Group on Truth-Telling, Reckoning and Healing following the 79th General Convention, and he currently services on the Standing Commission for Ecumenical and Inter-religious Relations. Within the diocese, he has engaged clergy and lay leaders across congregations on a number of initiatives, including the diocesan mission strategy, advocacy and public witness, reparations and restitution, and the sharing of proceeds from the sale of the former Diocesan House building to support congregations in their own ministry in the communities they serve.
Ordained in 1988, Bishop Rodman is a graduate of Bates College and Virginia Theological Seminary. He and his wife of 40 years, Deborah, live in Raleigh. They are the parents of two adult daughters. In his free time, Bishop Rodman enjoys basketball, golf, kayaking, crosswords and creative writing.
VISION: WORKING TO REDUCE AND PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE
The hope of the group is to focus on issues where the Diocese of North Carolina might affect change, either in a leadership role or in partnership with others. Among the areas explored for task force leadership:
- Identify advocacy opportunities
- Explore partnerships with organizations already engaged in the work of reducing gun violence
- Education around the role of mental illness, behavioral health challenges and other factors in gun violence
- Share resources to educate and assist churches in developing safety plans, including engagement with local law enforcement for consultation
- Develop a long-term plan to build a sustainable infrastructure to position the Diocese for ongoing calls to action, programs, education and advocacy
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
There are a lot of ways you can help reduce and prevent gun violence
- Stay in touch with your government representatives
- Encourage your church to organize a gun buy-back event
- Get involved in a community violence intervention program
- Learn about the role of mental illness, behavioral health challenges and other factors in gun violence
- Sign up for action alerts to lend your voice when it’s needed
- The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations
- North Carolinians Against Gun Violence
- Plan events around days observing gun violence awareness
- National Gun Violence Awareness Month (June)
- National Gun Violence Awareness Day/Wear Orange (First Friday in June)
SHARE YOUR WORK
If your congregation or ministry is involved in the work of gun violence prevention, be sure to share it in your entry on the Episcopal Asset Map. To share your work:
- Visit your listing, click “More Details” and then “Update This Place.”
- Once you’re in your listing, go the “Ministries” section and add the work you’re doing, selecting “Other” and entering “Gun Violence Prevention” as your “Other Ministry Type.”
- If the system requires a second ministry category (it may or may not), please choose “Advocacy.”
- Hit “Save and Submit” when you’re done).
Gun violence prevention is not yet its own ministry option, but the map developers are tracking the work taking place, and the hope is that when there is enough of it, gun violence prevention will become a category all itself. Please help make it happen by sharing the work you do!
CONVERSATION SERIES
Throughout each year, the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force hosts an installment of its “Conversation Series,” where attendees can learn and discuss various topics related to the reduction and prevention of gun violence. Watch the latest installment:
Resources shared during the webinar:
