Dear Friend,

This week the United States surpassed the grim mark of 100,000 deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this moment, faith leaders from around the country have joined Sojourners in calling on people from all faith traditions to take the time to mourn and lament the loss of our brothers and sisters. As people of faith, we refuse to let these deaths go unnoticed. Our nation needs time and space to truly mourn and lament the loss of our loved ones taken from us by COVID-19.

Today and tomorrow, many of our Muslim and Jewish neighbors will join us by mourning this moment in their own traditions and practices. As Christians we will do so this Pentecost Sunday. Then, on Monday, June 1, we are calling for interfaith leaders to partner with their mayors and other local elected officials to hold virtual prayer services and mark the passing of the 100,000.

We are working with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which has endorsed this effort, and have already received commitments from mayors in over three dozen cities and over 15 states to make Monday, June 1, a National Day of Mourning and Lament.

We invite and encourage you to join us in remembering the lives that have been lost by:

Calling on your pastors to include time for mourning and lament during your service this Sunday. We have provided resources on this page for church leaders to use, and we invite you to forward this email to them, so that they are equipped to create space for this in their sermons and services.
Watching and then sharing widely this video on social media and with your faith community. The video provides a powerful overview of and explains ways in which people can support and join this effort, and it is taken from the call for a National Day of Mourning and Lament, which you can read in full here, including all the diverse faith leaders who are sharing it. If possible, the video can even be shared in virtual services either this weekend or on Monday during prayer vigils.
Reaching out to your elected officials — especially mayors — to call for a time of public lament on June 1 at noon, in your respective time zone. We envision this as a time for public displays of lament. We encourage the lowering of flags, ringing of bells, virtual interfaith prayer vigils, posts to social media, and the creation of altars from empty chairs representing those who we have lost. We are already working with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, who have endorsed this effort, and mayors want to hear from local clergy who will join with them in these times of public lament on the National Day of Mourning and Lament.
Joining us for a livestreamed time of public lament on June 1 at noon, happening on the Sojourners Facebook page. We invite you to come together with people of faith across the U.S. as we grieve, mourn, and honor the people we have lost in the past few weeks – family, friends, and loved ones whose absence is felt so strongly. Prayers will be offered by interfaith leaders including Rev. Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, Rev. Jim Wallis, Rabbi David Saperstein, Dr. Mohamed Elsanousi, Bishop Michael Curry, and more.
Sharing this out on social media. Share images that symbolize what this means to you on social media, using the hashtags #DayofMourning and #Lament100k. We are using images of empty chairs, signifying those who will not return to our homes and dinner tables, and lit candles, as prayers for those lost and those grieving. You can choose any image that represents this moment for you.
Personally making space for lament in the coming week. Take time to recognize the loss we have faced individually and collectively as a nation. Additional resources for creating a space for lament can be found at the bottom of this email and at this link.

During this time, we are not only lamenting the loss of our neighbors, but also lamenting the inequities and brokenness that COVID-19 has revealed. We lament the overwhelming impact of the virus on our elders. We lament the disproportionate rate of infection and death among the black community, which has been compounded by the trauma of George Floyd’s recent tragic killing due to police brutality and racism. We lament the loss of our Native brothers and sisters who have been hit particularly hard. We lament the racism directed at the Asian American community.

As people of faith, we are called to mourn and lament the loss of these 100,000 people, each beloved and made in God’s image. We must take the time to grieve so we can help to heal as we move forward in facing these challenges together. We hope you will join us in this time of lament with your faith communities over the weekend and as one people of faith on Monday.

Prayerfully,

Rev. Jim Wallis, Founder & President, Sojourners

Rev. Adam R. Taylor, Executive Director, Sojourners

Lament Resources

We have created a video as a call to lament the more than 100,000 lives lost to COVID-19. We encourage you to watch and share this video. It is linked above, and it can also be found on this page.
Prayer – God, we come to you in grief, mourning, and lament of the more than 100,000 people we have lost to COVID-19. Not only has this pandemic taken our brothers and sisters, it has also revealed many of the most unequal, broken pieces of our society. We ask that, as we move forward, you may work in and through us, so that we may continue to build your beloved community. Find more prayer resources here.
Sojourners has collected many of our resources on lament and COVID-19 on a single webpage for convenience, as well as a toolkit to help organize interfaith events in your community for the National Day of Mourning and Lament on Monday, June 1. See these resources by clicking here.