Old Lyme — A crowd of people sat and stood outside the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme in silence Sunday afternoon as the bell in the church steeple rang.

It rang and rang again.

The bell rang a total of 32 times, each time ringing louder and invoking images of children, adults and seniors, who are no longer alive.

The church, alongside the Lyme-Old Lyme Partnership for Social Justice, held a vigil and call to action Sunday ending with the ringing of the bells to remember the 32 victims of recent mass shootings across the nation.

The Rev. Steve Jungkeit, the senior minister at the church, said the ringing of the bells recalls a New England tradition in which  people would ring bells to raise alarm and signal the community to come together.

"We're in an emergency right now and can't let these moments go unremarked and let them pass," Jungkeit said, referring to the shootings that occured in Buffalo, N.Y., where 10 Black people were shot and killed at a grocery store; Laguna Woods, Calif., where one person was killed and four injured at a church; and most recently in Ulvade, Texas, where 19 students and two teachers were killed at an elementary school.

Those attending the vigil heard remarks from multiple speakers, each one of them urging the need to not only pray but act.

Rev. Dr. Terrlyn L. Curry Avery, founder of Sacred Intelligence in New London and pastor of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Mass., told the crowd that tackling gun violence and racism requires prayer and work. She also emphasized the importance of addressing gun reform and mental health.

"After a mass shooting, a number of mental health issues arise that will last for years," she said. "Don't think you are immune. You can be effected and affected by mass shootings."

Other speakers were Principal Lindsay Thompson from the Mary Hooker Magnet School in Hartford; Kevin Booker Jr., a professor from Mitchell College; and Sadie Frankel, a Lyme resident and activist attending Northwestern University.

Frankel said she remembers being 9 years old and told about Sandy Hook. She said nothing has changed except kids are taught how to run and hide.

"Mass shootings are not inevitable," Frankel said. "We can't get used to them even though some already have."

Frankel said the U.S. is on its 214th mass shooting this year and it is only May.

Before closing, Jungkeit suggested ways in which people could respond. He addressed gun owners to start thinking about getting rid of their guns and told parents to say no to letting their children play with toy guns and violent video games.

He said people need to start thinking beyond gun control and look at gun abolition, ending private gun ownership. He said it once seemed unthinkable with slavery and child labor but it happened.

"May we not just grieve, but give; may we not just ache, but act; may our signed right to bear arms never blind our sight from shared harm; may we choose our children over chaos. May another innocent never be lost," Jungkeit said, quoting Amanda Gorman's poem "Hymns for the Hurting."

Jody Belluzzi of Old Lyme is a member of the church and said she was there to listen to the speakers and honor all the people who have died due to social injustice, violence and lack of gun control.

Belluzzi said she feels safe but fears for two of her children who are teachers. She said she always thought schools were a safe place, noting how the Texas school had security but that wasn't enough. Belluzzi said there should be more gun control, a ban on automatic weapons and background checks.

"Mental health should also be addressed but it is not the total answer," Belluzzi said.

When the bells rang, Tina Lacombe of Essex said she pictured people standing in a parking lot and falling dead with each bell toll.

"It's horrible," she said. Lacombe was accompanied by Hailey Wilcox and both are not members of the congregation but drove down to the vigil when they heard news of it. Both admitted to not feeling safe outside anymore whether due to COVID-19 or becoming a target of a shooting.

Lacombe said she didn't agree with Rev. Jungkeit about abolishing guns. She said she has family members who own guns and enjoy hunting. But Lacombe said there should be stricter laws around background checks and mental health for gun owners.

Both said people should be able to take a class and test before owning a gun and renew their permit like they do with a driver's license.

"It should be an honor to own a gun, not a right," said Lacombe.

j.vazquez@theday.com