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New Bethel Church in KCK honors violence survivors

Posted at 5:40 PM, Mar 31, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-01 00:13:44-04

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — New Bethel Church in Kansas City, Kansas, remembered those lost to violence in the area and the ones impacted by those deaths Sunday during a special service.

"I wanted to do something to recognize those survivors," New Bethel Lead Pastor A. Glenn Brady said. "That's why we are calling it Survivors Sunday. ... When you look at it, it's something that never leaves a person. We've got members who have lost loved ones 10 years ago that are still feeling the effects of the loss."

Lashone Releford is among those who knows the pain such families go through.

"I lost my brother Julian back in Arkansas to violence, and it was a big shock to our family," said Releford, who serves as staff pastor at New Bethel.

He hopes this service brings families hope.

"I believe as a church and as a community we have a responsibility to put our arms around those people," Releford said.

Several community service agencies were represented at the service.

"We begin to learn to love each other and respect life," Brady said.