Juquina Harris died a week before Thanksgiving on a cold slab of asphalt along Statesville Avenue. As tragic as her death was, I felt no initial emotion over what was first reported as the shooting of a stripper.

As time passed, I learned that Ms. Harris was 27 and the single mother of six children.

On Tuesday, I attended a prayer vigil at the Harris home and was embarrassed by the lack of support from our local faith community. I was saddened to learn that, after Ms. Harris was killed, the family had called several churches for assistance and was essentially turned away.

"We will call you back," was a common response.

I saw no food in the house to feed incoming family and friends. At her funeral, no church representation was present -- one of the children's grandmothers was left to say a  prayer. And the flowers for her burial were donated by a local florist.

As people of faith, what should be our response during a tragedy such as this?

That question began to gnaw on me as I learned more about Ms. Harris and the needs of those she left behind. I spoke briefly with an old friend, and we bounced around some ideas.

After contacting a few area churches and the lead detective in the murder investigation, I thought it would be a witness to our prayer lives if we made sure Ms. Harris' children had a wonderful Christmas.

Simply praying for others is not enough. Our actions must become a direct reflection of our prayer lives. God empowers His will through us. We are the visual and tangible evidence of God's love.

So far, 10 churches have agreed to serve as collection points for toys and donations. We also are looking into ways of setting up a trust account for monetary donations.

A benevolence group in Orlando, Fla., called last week to say they are raising money to buy a headstone for Ms. Harris' grave. They also are looking into how they might provide legal support for the family.

Still, we need more ambassadors for the Harris children.

If you are willing to collect donations at your job, church, day-care, barbershop, school, senior center, etc., contact me at the email address at the end of this column.

On Friday, I will write a second column listing the time, date and location for each drop-off point. Current plans call for toy drop-offs on Saturday, Dec. 4, and Saturday, Dec. 11.

I did not know Ms. Harris, her family or any of her associates. Until Tuesday night, I have never been to the area of town where she lived, nor did I know it existed.

I do not know what God has in store for me stepping out of my comfort zone for strangers, but of this I am certain: If I were looking for God on Tuesday night, he would have been near the Harris home.

I am reminded that he came for the lost, the least and the left out.

Ms. Harris was not noticed by our faith community in life. Perhaps we can honor our God by helping her children after her death.

***
The Rev. John Hicks is assistant pastor at First Fellowship Ministries and president of Synergy Farms International. Email him at jbh@synergyfarmsinternational.org.

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