Candlelight Vigil to Commemorate 10th Anniversary of 9-11

Grace community Church will hold a candlelight vigil tonight to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Hundreds are expected at the solemn ceremony, which will feature three speakers: former Secret Service Agent Rom Williams, an expert on terror, former Seal Beach Police Chief Jeff Kirkpatrick, a responder to the World Trade Center in the aftermath of the attacks, and Senior Pastor Don Shoemaker.

In addressing the emotional and spiritual aftermath of the attacks, Shoemaker will discuss the question: “Where was God when evil struck?”

“I think the attacks shook us from complacency and let us know America is not safe just because there is an ocean on both sides of us,” Shoemaker said. “It also taught us to appreciate our first responders who run toward danger as others go away from danger.”

The vigil, which has been held every year since the attacks, will begin go from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. on the church lawn at 138 8th Street in Seal Beach.