Atlanta marks five years since Sandy Hook

ATLANTA - It was a call to prayer and action in remembrance of the massacre at Sandy Hook five years ago.

In the sanctuary of Trinity Presbyterian Church Thursday night, people of different faiths and backgrounds came together to remember the victims of Sandy Hook.

Twenty children and six adult staff members of Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown Connecticut were shot to death by Adam Lanza who then took his own life.

The Abreu’s, retired educators from Texas who recently moved to Atlanta, were among the worshipers who came to pray for the victims of Sandy Hook and other massacres.

“We were very affected when this happened five years ago and we just wanted to do what we could to be part of this vision,” said George Abreu.

The prayer vigil was also a call to action and an invitation to reach out to others with differing points of view.

Bishop Robert Wright, with the Episcopal Diocese told those gathered they need to reach out to others with differing views.

“To stop speaking exclusively to those who already agree with us. To find nontraditional allies,” said Bishop Wright.

Participants were given a candle and a name, representing victims of gun violence in Georgia and the country.

Reverend Pam Driesell with Trinity Presbyterian told FOX 5 News the vigil was organized by the Outcry Coalition.

“We have many people on Outcry who are gun owners so this is not about limiting people’s rights,” said Rev. Driesell.

She said the Outcry Coalition, 300 clergy from metro Atlanta and rural Georgia, was organized after Sandy Hook to not only pray but also take action.

“We need to do more than just pray for them we need to embody actions that will prevent those things from happening again,” said Rev. Driesell.

She said part of the action plan involves sending letters to Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and Georgia Senators Johnny Isakson and David Perdue encouraging them to strengthen the background check process when it comes to firearms.