Subscribe!
Faith Communities Open Doors, Ring Bells, Noon, September 11 – 25th Anniversary of Terrorist Attacks
The Rhode Island State Council of Churches is inviting faith communities across the state to ring their bells and open their doors for public prayer to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. This statewide effort will provide an opportunity for reflection, community support, and collective hope as we remember the lives lost on that day.
Faith communities with bells will ring them at 12:00 PM noon for four minutes, memorializing those who perished in each of the four plane attacks. Additionally, numerous communities will be open for prayer, private reflection, or corporate remembrance.
25th Memorial of 9/11
At a vigil offered the first night of the attack, the Rev. Charles Ortman reminded his congregation that, despite the great evil they experienced that day, the “universe is still filled with unlimited possibilities for goodness.”
It is in this spirit that the Rhode Island State Council of Churches has encouraged communities of faith to ring their bells and open their doors for prayer as we mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.
We also recognize that this year’s commemoration coincides with the beginning of the Jewish holy day of Rosh Hashanah.
As we ring our bells in remembrance, we also welcome the sound of the shofar in synagogues across the world at sunset tonight. We join the Jewish community, and all communities of faith, in hoping for a year of sweetness, peace and new beginnings.
Participating churches – as of September 10th
- Bell Tolling
- Grace Episcopal Church, Providence
- St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Alton
- First Evangelical Lutheran Church, East Greenwich
- St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Newport
- Peace Dale Congregational Church, UCC
- St. Elizabeth’s Church, Hope Valley
- Kingston Congregational Church, UCC
- Barrington Congregational Church, UCC
- First Baptist Church in Wickford
- Emmanuel Lutheran Church, West Warwick
- First Baptist Church in America
- Bell Tolling and Prayer
- Christ Episcopal Church, Westerly
- St. Peter’s and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Providence
- Church of the Redeemer, Providence
- Chapel Street Congregational Church, UCC
- Providence Presbyterian Church, PCUSA
- Calvin Presbyterian Church, PCUSA
- St. Stephens Episcopal Church, Providence
- Woodbury Union Church, PCUSA
- St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, Providence
- Trinity Episcopal Church, Newport
- Shepherd of the Valley, UMC
- First Baptist Church, East Greenwich
- St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Church, Pawtucket
- First Christian Church of Coventry and Mt. Vernon Baptist Church
- Newman Congregational Church, UCC
- Phillips Memorial Baptist Church
- First Congregational Church in Bristol, UCC
- Prayer
Participating Faith Communities by Tradition
- American Baptist
- Episcopal
- Grace Episcopal Church, Providence
- Church of the Ascension (Episcopal), Wakefield
- Chapel of St. John the Divine, Saunderstown
- Christ Episcopal Church, Westerly
- St. Peter’s and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Providence
- Church of the Redeemer, Providence
- St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Alton
- St. Elizabeth’s Church, Hope Valley
- St. Stephens Episcopal Church, Providence
- St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, Providence
- Trinity Episcopal Church, Newport
- Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Non-Denominational
- Presbyterian (PCUSA)
- United Church of Christ
- Woodridge Congregational Church, UCC
- Chapel Street Congregational Church, UCC
- Peace Dale Congregational Church, UCC
- United Congregational Church of Little Compton
- Kingston Congregational Church, UCC
- Barrington Congregational Church, UCC
- Newman Congregational Church, UCC
- First Congregational Church in Bristol, UCC
- United Methodist Church
About the Rhode Island Council on Churches
The RI Council on Churches are advocates for the voiceless, resourcing the community to do the work of justice, love, and peace.