COAL TOWNSHIP - A sign hangs inside the lobby of Mountainside Assembly of God Church that reads "Love God, Love Our Neighbors, Bless The World!"
Its message played out inside the church sanctuary Sunday evening as about 70 people attended a prayer vigil in memory of the victims of Friday's massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
Their heads bowed in unison, their prayers were for the victims, their families and our collective futures.
Pastor Richard Earl said a community gathering for prayer is crucial as there is strength in numbers, even in prayer.
"There's a secret with prayer and that is receiving the grace of God," he said prior to the start of the vigil. "It's an unexplainable peace that only is understood by those who receive Him."
Earl, Pastor Robert Peiffer of St. John's UCC, Shamokin, and Pastor Samuel Bellavia of Shamokin Christian and Missionary Alliance Church, Shamokin, were among the clergy who helped arrange the vigil and lead the prayers.
Although the Sandy Hook tragedy is physically distant, Bellavia agreed that its repercussions are shared by many across the globe.
Prayer, Bellavia said, is a communication with God that not only brings about personal benefits but also allows intercessions on the behalf of others.
The hope was that the prayers from the Shamokin-Coal Township area would help those in Newtown who, as Bellavia said, are "our brothers and sisters in Christ."
Earl said the shooting is proof that humanity is a fallen race, and that only God can provide comfort and meaning in times like these.
"Left to ourselves, we don't do very well," Earl said of humans deciding to take their fate into their own hands and removing God from the equation. "That's why I've spent my life pointing people to the only one who knows the answers."
Bellavia said a challenge exists for those with faith to rise and reflect on God's good nature.
"If we withdraw from God, we're left trying to generate our own light, and we can't," he said.