The sound of footsteps echoed through the empty halls, making their way towards the chapel. The door opened as bright light and the smell of candles met the stale air of an unused hallway. In the chapel, voices rose in unison promoting peace and love after the recent deaths of citizens and police officers, along with widespread protests, consumed the nation.

A small group assembled in the chapel to shine light on the aftermath of the violence that had occurred in the country after the early weeks of June. Teenagers and adults alike prayed, sang, listened and reflected on the lives lost, as well as how to move forward. Since then only more violence has ensued, making these efforts and others like them only more necessary as the summer has progressed.

“Sion speaks out to building a world of peace, justice and love. Right now there is so much hurt and killing in the nation, and the only response to this violence is more violence,” religion teacher and Campus Minister Stephanie Pino-Dressman said. “I think it’s important that one of our responses be in prayer.”

Mission Director Penny Selle began the prayer service with a scripture reading that was then followed with a poem read by English teacher Melissa Wilcox. Next, senior Taylor Ramsey sang and Dressman concluded with a short reflection. In between presentations, the audience was given a moment of silence along with introductions given by senior Mackenzie Hutcheson, who led the service.

“I think our biggest responsibility is to just acknowledge everything that is happening around us, to bring light to it, and to push the education of it,” Hutcheson said. “It’s also about what we can do now, not just protesting in the streets, but also talking to our family members about it.”

While presentation topics varied, the service’s overall theme remained “praying for peace.” The audience was called to celebrate the lives lost, raise their voices, stand together and step out of their comfort zones with an effort to make real change.

“I believe that prayer can change anything,” Ramsey said. “So when we get together as a community to pray, who knows what we can do together.”