By the National Council of Churches

Last week, we lost a hero.

Congressman John Lewis passed away on Friday. He was 80. The son of sharecroppers, a civil rights icon, and a moral compass for America, John Lewis encouraged a whole new generation of us to get into “good trouble.”

Today John Lewis will be laid to rest. During the funeral, in partnership with the Lewis family and office, houses of worship across the country will ring their bells at 10 a.m. CDT for 80 seconds, one second for each year of Lewis’s life. Houses of worship that do not have bells will mark this time with other remembrances – prayers, moments of silence, and more.

In Whitewater, First United Methodist Church will be participating in this remembrance. Gehrig Monday, WHS ’20, has been invited to ring, as Congressman Lewis has made an impact on his life.