The Grace Presbytery covering north and northeastern Texas ordained the first ever “Minister of Gun Violence Prevention.”

The minister, Rev. Deanna Hollas, is based at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas.

The Presbyterian Church (USA) tweeted:

First-known minister of Gun Violence Prevention ordained in July: The Rev. Deana Hollas will work for Presbyterian Peace Fellowship. – https://t.co/1wscS4c0nB #PCUSA pic.twitter.com/iBykpKqJIH — Presbyterian Church (@Presbyterian) July 16, 2019

Presbyterian Peace Fellowship reports that Hollas will work with a “network of over 800 local Presbyterian gun violence prevention advocates in all 50 states.”

Hollas, who hold a “Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction from San Francisco Theology Seminary,” said:

With all the gun violence in our country, it is easy to lose hope and ask: where is God? But I am hopeful. I see God raising up so many people and churches to study and speak out and work towards ending the violence that is plaguing our nation. Change is coming.

During Hollas’ ordination, attendees sang a new hymn written against gun violence. The hymn is titled, “If We Just Talk of Thoughts and Prayers.”

The Presbyterian Church (USA) has long advocated gun control, particularly the passage of universal background checks. Such checks would not have prevented a single mass shooting of the past 10 years because every mass shooter, save a few, acquired their guns via background checks. The exceptions were those who stole their guns instead.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.