BLUEFIELD, W.Va. (WVVA) – Bluefield, W.Va. Faith leaders gathered Saturday to hold a community meeting about gun violence in the area. The discussion was aimed at adults and parents, as the group also hopes to organize future meetings involving children and teenagers in Bluefield.

“We need to have these discussions in order to move our communities forward,” said participant Lacey Watson. “To progress from where we are to where we need to be.”

“It’s time for us to come together as a community, have a heart-to-heart conversation about what’s going on, and focus primarily on our teen population who are ultimately, you know, impacted by this situation.” , said Bishop Frederick Brown. , senior pastor at Faith Center Church in Bluefield.

Saturday’s conference lasted more than two hours and touched on community and societal issues facing the Bluefield area, as faith leaders and residents hope to seek solutions before bringing young people into the discussion.

“Tonight is mainly for our adults. We’re trying to bring the parents, the concerned citizens here,” Brown said. “Before school starts, we want to have another meeting where we invite our teenage community… We want to bring them in and have a heart-to-heart conversation with them before school starts so that we can try to avoid some of that stuff in our local school system here, it’s happening all over the country.

“I feel really good to have this conversation and steps that will follow this conversation later,” Watson said.

Saturday’s meeting was held at Bluefield, W.Va.’s Faith Center Church.

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