photo by: John Young

Attendees gather around the South Park gazebo Wednesday, June 15, 2016, as pastor Shannah McAleer of St. Paul Church in Eudora leads a song during a vigil honoring the victims of the nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla. About 150 people attended the event organized by leaders of local congregations and civil rights organizations.

More than 100 people gathered Wednesday night for an interfaith vigil in response to the recent mass shooting that killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando. Speakers emphasized that no matter the location, all communities have to address the issues inherent in the shooting.

“Yes, this happened in Orlando, but hate is everywhere,” Edith Guffey, of the United Church of Christ, told those gathered at South Park. “Orlando could have been Kansas, as we certainly hear the rhetoric of hate and exclusion here.”

Religious leaders of different faiths, sexual orientations and races passed the microphone, speaking to the crowd assembled at the park’s gazebo. Despite those differences, the speakers underscored the unity among themselves and those gathered.

photo by: John Young

Lawrence residents Rebecca Gant, left, and Lynne Bodle hold candles Wednesday, June 15, 2016, while listening to speakers at a vigil in South Park honoring the victims of the nightclub shooting in Orlando.

“We are here tonight to show our community how much more unites us than divides us,” said the Rev. Peter Luckey of Plymouth Congregational. “… It doesn’t matter what your orientation is, it doesn’t matter what your religion is, it doesn’t matter where you come from — everyone is entitled to a full, abundant life.

“It’s in that spirit that we gather here this evening, to feel a sense of solidarity, that we’re not alone in standing up to the hate that’s taking place in our society,” Lucky added.

photo by: John Young

Rev. Peter Luckey of Plymouth Congregational Church speaks Wednesday, June 15, 2016, at the gazebo in South Park, 1141 Massachusetts St., during a vigil honoring the victims of the nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., earlier this week.

The shooting in Orlando occurred Sunday at the nightclub Pulse, which was hosting a Latin dance night. The shooter has been identified as 29-year-old Omar Mateen, a radicalized Muslim whom the White House has portrayed as a “homegrown extremist.”

Moussa Elbayoumy, board chairman of the Kansas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said people of all faiths need to work together to put an end to such crimes, no matter their religious or political ideology.

“We stand here with our brothers and sisters of faith to renew our commitment for the sanctity of life, for human rights, for civil rights and for the right of every individual to live their own life as they choose — with dignity, in peace and without fear of violence committed against them,” Elbayoumy said.

As part of the vigil, religious leaders led those gathered in both song and prayer. Candles were lit and distributed among the crowd in remembrance of the shooting victims. Sophie Johnson, of Lawrence, attended with several of her friends. Johnson said that to address the shooting, communities need to talk about the issues behind it, such as homophobia.

“I think it’s really important to bring awareness to this in Lawrence,” Johnson said. “Since it’s Orlando, it seems like it’s so far away, and it’s easy to distance yourself from the problem. A small community like this can talk about this and raise awareness.”

Enrique Penaloza of Reunión Libertad also addressed the crowd, speaking mostly in Spanish, after which his wife translated. More than 90 percent of the Orlando victims were Hispanic. Penaloza said the only thing that can destroy hate is love, but that it needs to be actively cultivated.

“Kansas is the Sunflower state, and when we sow sunflower seeds, we only harvest sunflowers,” Penaloza said. “When we sow hate, we only harvest death and destruction. We have to learn how to sow love to be able to harvest love.”