Twenty-two of them attended including Father Joel Almono pastor of the Grace Episcopal Church and his wife Susan Almonó who are leading this coalition.
By Father Joel Almonó
Residents and members of the faith community of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover gave their testimonies before a Massachusetts Senate hearing.
This past Tuesday, November 12, we went to support of the Gas Pipeline Safety legislation and the proposed FUTURES law which proposes the use of renewable thermal technology following the gas explosion that occurred on September 13, 2018.
The coalition of pastors from the three communities Lawrence, Andover and North Andover participated with a delegation of 22 people.
Ana Javier was one of the people in the coalition of pastors and religious leaders who addressed the Senate. She told how she walked shelter by shelter helping people evicted from their homes.
“I’m here to speak for those who can’t do it,” Javier said, adding, “I saw how many people came to me with fear and the worst thing is that they still have the same fear.”
Weeks ago Javier said she had to call the fire department because she smelled gas in her house. “Our community is traumatized and I think we need an answer,” Javier said.
Cristian Borbón, pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church on Salem Street told how the 300 members of his church were affected.
He and other residents of the area emphasized their distrust of Columbia Gas after the explosion and gas leaks a year after the tragedy.
Lee Blumel, pastor of North Parish in North Andover was one of them. Blumel, who is a chaplain of the Fire Department in North Andover, prayed thanking God that the explosion happened at 4 p.m. and not at night, although many homes and businesses were affected and a young man died.
“We need legislators to take a bold initiative; it is impossible to express how shocking this explosion was for our valley,” he said.
“We have a great capacity for recovery but we also care about life, we care about each person and our community,” concluded Blumel.
Participants in the audience are part of a coalition of ministers of different religions to work and advocate for families affected by the tragedy.
It was amazing to see a coalition of Lawrence in the front row. One of the achievements was not only to express ourselves and testify but also to empower us.
