Community Day
Community Day is a chance to gather in community on June 27, 2026, before the work of deliberation and discernment begins. No business meetings are scheduled so that participants can fully engage with the day’s opportunities. Observers interested in participating in Community Day are welcome to join us for the Walk to End Gun Violence and the Town Square. Observers may purchase tickets in advance or on-site.
Gather first at 9:30 a.m. at Pere Marquette Park (across the street from the Hyatt Hotel) to see a Guns to Gardens blacksmith demonstration and hear speakers from the national offices and the area. Around 10:30 am we will walk together the short distance to City Hall, encircle the building in prayer and then walk back to the Baird Center (about 1 mile total).
(click the image for a larger view)
The Walk to End Gun Violence includes 3 stops and multiple opportunities to learn and engage.
Join us to:
- witness to PC(USA) efforts toward policy change
- listen to stories from those impacted by gun violence
- learn from churches working to make a change in their community
- see a live demonstration from a Guns to Gardens blacksmith and hear more on this initiative from the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship
- gather around Milwaukee City Hall (a seat of power) to pray for systemic change,
- pick up resources and ideas you can take back to your congregations and communities.
For those who would prefer an indoor alternative to the walk, activities and demonstrations will be held in the North Building, 1st Floor of the Baird Center beginning at 9:30 a.m. This includes a preview of documentary clips from a new film currently in production that will amplify the voices and stories of community leaders from across the country who are working to prevent gun violence in their own neighborhoods and communities. Produced by Counter Stories Productions (Presbyterian Disaster Assistance's Story Ministry), this Untitled documentary is expected to be released in 2027.
Gun violence remains a public health crisis in the United States and is the leading cause of death among children and teens. In 2025 alone there were 408 mass shootings, 233 of which were at schools, and gun deaths by suicide account for over 58% of total gun deaths annually. According to a report by the Commonwealth Fund, U.S. states have a higher firearm mortality rate than most other countries and those rates are on par with countries experiencing active conflict.
It does not have to be this way.
Working together we can enact lasting change. The GA Action event, Healing Not Harm: A Walk to End Gun Violence takes us one step farther on the path to change.
Additional Information & Resources
