Atlanta vigil for Las Vegas attack victims

ATLANTA - In Atlanta Wednesday night, a church congregation came together to start the healing process after the massacre in Las Vegas.

Covenant Presbyterian Church on Peachtree Road in Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood opened its doors for a service of lament and healing after the bloodshed in Las Vegas.

Flickering in front of the gathering, 59 candles for the 59 souls lost in the worst shooting massacre in modern U.S. history.

"We as a nation are grieving. We need some kind of understanding and for us, that understanding comes through community, prayer," said Matt Allemani, one of the parishioners who attended.

The prayer message from the altar was of love and harmony from a church which regularly holds Sunday services, but added a Wednesday night in response to the carnage in Las Vegas.

It is a national tragedy with long tentacles which reached directly into this congregation.

"A good friend of my husband and mine was actually at the concert and a person standing next to her was one of the injured," said Reverend Katie Aumann, the Associate Pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church.

She said the deaths and injuries at the country music festival in Las Vegas is a tear to the fabric of this country which needs mending.

This is not the first time Covenant Presbyterian has responded to a mass shooting.

"This is not the first act of gun violence and it probably won't be the last and this congregation gathered after the Orlando shooting as well," said Reverend Aumann.

So, once again Covenant Presbyterian Church was more than a place of prayer and solace, it was also an outreach from the worshippers to those suffering the most.

"We extend our prayers for the losses, terrible losses that people have experienced," said Karen Turney, one of the parishioners attending the special service.

Church leaders said they will always respond with prayer in the time of national mourning like Las Vegas.

They just hope it doesn't come around as quickly.