Sayville Church Embarks on Gun Ban Artwork Project

The Sayville Congregational United Church of Christ is asking the community's help in creating a unique artwork reflecting the need for greater gun control across the country.

The church, according to Rev. Gary Brinn, has made sensible gun control, including a ban on assault weapons, its priority prophetic justice issue for 2013.

As part of that focus the parish is creating an art project in front of the church that will require 20 children's backpacks, one representing each child murdered at Sandy Hook, according to Brinn.

Residents who can donate or contribute a  new or used child-sized backpack are asked to contact the church office at 589-1519 or email churchadmin@sayvilleucc.org. The backpacks are needed by May 15.

Brinn told Patch that the church's Board of Deacons have voted on a gun-control petition that was then signed by members of the congregation and sent to elected officials a couple of months ago.

"After all, what can be more unjust than the untreated mentally ill using weapons of mass-murder to slaughter children?," Brinn wrote in an email to Patch.

The impending art project was inspired by the work of celebrated Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. After the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Weiwei did a large installation piece using backpacks to represent the many school children killed due to the shoddy construction of their schools.

"Beginning with his concept, we will mount 20 child-sized backpacks with the names of the Sandy Hook first-graders on the front of our church building, along with a sign making clear that we believe gun control is a faith issue," Brinn explained.

"We believe the community will be engaged and committed when they see the backpacks of their own children on the wall, so we are especially looking for parents who are passionate about this issue," said Brinn, adding the church hopes to have the artwork installed by Memorial Day weekend.