This Sunday, Sept. 11, marks the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, on the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and on United Airlines Flight 93. In honor of the 2,977 lives that were lost that day and the impact of this event on the nation and the world, Belmont University will hold a Service of Remembrance on campus on Sunday beginning at 3 p.m.
All students, faculty, staff, neighbors and members of the Nashville community are invited to gather at the Bell Tower in the center of Belmont’s campus for a brief time of Scripture reading and prayer. The Bell Tower carillon will sound 2,977 times that afternoon in honor of each victim of 9/11, and there will be an opportunity for those in attendance to take the name of a person who died in the events of that day in order to pray specifically for that victim’s family and friends.
The service itself will last approximately 10 minutes, after which those in attendance are invited to stay and pray in the Bell Tower Prayer Chapel or University Ministries in the Gabhart Student Center, both of which will be open until 5 p.m. (The tolling of the bells is expected to take 90 minutes as each victim is honored.) In addition, a wreath will be placed at the Memorial Fountain on Belmont Blvd., which was built in the wake of 9/11. Those who would like can fill out a prayer card and attach it to the wreath.
Dr. Todd Lake, Belmont’s vice president for spiritual development, said, “Please join me and other members of the Belmont family as we honor the victims and heroes of Sept. 11, 2001 on this significant anniversary. Our thoughts and prayers remain with their friends and their families.”
