“The Future of Our Past: A Conversation about Tragedy & Community Healing” with Lyndon Harris

On Sunday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. and in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Christ Lutheran Church of Hellertown is presenting an evening of conversation and stories from the firsthand accounts of inspirational speaker, forgiveness coach, workshop leader, author and former Ground Zero priest Lyndon Harris, who served at Saint Paul’s Chapel in New York City in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks. He initiated a volunteer force that rose to over 15,000 people—serving meals, offering supplies and giving encouragement to the rescue workers 24/7 until the site was closed eight-and-a-half months later.

In “The Future of Our Past: A Conversation about Tragedy and Community Healing,” Harris will explore what the 25th anniversary might teach us as we move from tragedy toward  hope and healing, acknowledging that every community has its own Ground Zero. Drawing on his experiences serving at Ground Zero in New York City and his own journey through PTSD, depression and recovery, Harris explores forgiveness, not as forgetting or excusing wrongdoing, but as an evidence-based practice that can help us to reclaim our future from the burdens of the past. 

Harris is the author of the recently published memoir, Forgiveness at Ground Zero: A Journey of  Service, Loss, and Redemption After 9/11. 

Attendees will meet Lyndon Harris, hear his moving personal story and have a new perspective about forgiveness after the 25th anniversary of 9/11. 

This event is open to the public and free of charge.

Christ Lutheran Church has served the Hellertown community for generations through worship, education, service and outreach. As a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the church seeks to share God’s love through compassionate service, community engagement and a commitment to justice and peace.