MACON, Ga. — Emotions were running high at the Ministers' forum in City Hall Monday night, with this weekend's shooting still on the minds of everyone in attendance.
"In order to reach somebody, you must be willing to meet them where they are," said Moderator, Pastor Jason McClendon.
That's just one sentence that sums up Monday night's MVP ministers forum at City Hall.
"These kids are bred, born and raised in this culture which now means from the pulpit, all of this has gotta change," said Pastor Dominique Johnson of A Kingdom Life Church in east Macon.
This forum was an opportunity for the city's worship leaders to get together and brainstorm solutions of their own, and most revolved around talking to kids while they're young.
One pastor suggested a gun buy back program with incentives for those who turn them in, and another suggested churches partner with local schools.
"There cannot be correction where there is no connection, you have to have a relationship with the people we're seeking to help, so I would recommend the adopt-a-school as one particular solution," said Pastor Paul Little of Bibb Mt. Zion Church.
But besides pastors speaking up, others came to listen and share their own personal experiences with gun violence in Macon.
Venice Hillman lost her son, Quinterious Hillman, in a double homicide this past May.
"We need y'all out here. It may not stop people, we can't change people, but we can make a difference," Hillman said.
Darrin Ford owns a business in downtown Macon near where the shooting happened this weekend.
"The incident that happened Friday is not a one-off. I literally saw two kids die in front of me Friday. That's a problem. That's a problem," said Ford.
The next MVP forum will be Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. at the Rose Jackson Community Center in east Macon.