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In response to the tragic death of our neighbour Lawrence Cook, who lived amongst us, although unhoused, we held an emergency vigil on Tuesday, January 13, at 6:00pm. We gathered at the bottom of Forbes Street, Glen Morris beside the rail-trail which Lawrence travelled. Over forty people attended, not only from this village but the broader community, including cyclists who know well the safety issues that they face. It was a beautiful time together, filled with emotion, where we shared memories of Lawrence and words of comfort from Rev. Michiko and each other, all while circled around his propane heater, a symbol of his light as well as his circumstance. 

Rev. Michiko created the short but poignant service below. 

 

"We are gathered tonight simply to be together and share in our grief. 

Lawrence Cook’s death is a tragedy and while we do not know his life story, we knew him as our neighbour and it only seemed right to come together to name this loss. 

When Jesus was asked “Who is my neighbour?” he responded by sharing the parable of the Good Samaritan. That story feels painfully poignant in the face of what has happened. Let us give thanks for the person who stopped and responded to this accident, and to all those who have responded to this incident with care. May this gathering here tonight be our own way of showing that we believe in taking care of each other, that this form of public witness is our way of saying “we are not simply going to walk by and pretend nothing happened.” 

The loving act of showing up here tonight is powerful in that it is our way of saying he was our neighbour - This form of loving witness is what makes us neighbours. You being here is a way of saying, neighbours don’t need to have addresses in order to be cared about. 

Invitation for Reflections from the Community

I would like to ask that we take a moment of silence to honour Lawrence. May his memory be a blessing. 

Sung Response: I’ve Got Peace Like a River"

 

This Sunday, January 18, 10:30am, our service which had been planned before this tragedy, is entiteld 'Walking With Our Neighbours: Seeing the Unseen - Understanding Homelessness and How to Help. We are dedicating this service to Lawrence.