Upper Dublin Lutheran Church (UDLC), located at 411 Susquehanna Road, Ambler, in partnership with Or Hadash Synagogue, will host an Interfaith Community Forum on Preventing Gun Violence on Sunday, March 10 from 2:30 – 5:00pm.

Local leaders speaking at the event include Pennsylvania State Representatives Ben Sanchez and Liz Hanbidge, Upper Dublin School District Superintendent Laurie Smith and Upper Dublin Chief of Police Francis Wheatley. Violence prevention organizations will offer information and support.

UDLC’s Advocacy Team Leader Chris Tranchida says the event is designed to offer concrete advice to help prevent gun violence tragedies.

“We want to bring people of all faiths and backgrounds together because this is not an issue for one religion or race,” Tranchida said, “This is everyone’s problem to solve and we need to come together as a community.”

UDLC and Upper Dublin Public Library will offer supervised mindfulness activities such as yoga, active play, crafts and visits from therapy dogs for children ages 5-12 while their parents attend the event. Babysitting is available for children under 5.

A “Memorial to the Lost,” developed by Philadelphia-based nonprofit Heeding God’s Call to End Gun Violence, will be displayed on the front lawn of UDLC from February 26 through March 10 .

Eighty-one T-shirts will represent each of the gun-related deaths in Montgomery County in the past 5 years (2019- 2023). The number is up from 66 (2018-2022) demonstrating an increasing problem in the area. Each T- shirt honors a victim with their name, age and date they were lost to gun violence.

Photos: UDLC