Family, friends and members of the community gathered Wednesday night for a special prayer service following a school bus crash that killed a Northwestern Local Schools student and injured more than 20 other children.
“Community, you’ve heard the phrase misery loves company. I suggest misery needs company," said Pastor Alan Cain of the Lawrenceville Church of God. "We need to be together. We need to carry each other’s load. Bear each other’s burdens, have each other’s backs — and that’s what we’re doing here today.”
People packed in united in their grief, clinging to each other as they tearfully followed the praise team.
They honored the young life of Aiden Clark. He died after being thrown from his school bus when it was struck and flipped along state Route 41.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, 35-year-old Hermanio Joseph hit the backend of the Northwestern school bus shortly at 8 am Tuesday. It was carrying Clark and 51 other children to their first day of class.
Joseph is now charged with felony vehicular homicide. His bond has been set at $100,000.
Pastor Cain also led the crowd in prayers for the first responders, teachers, and the survivors of the crash.
“It’s not our task to judge the worthiness of our path. It is our task to walk our path with worthiness," Cain said. "We must learn to trust the small light we are given and value the light that we can shine into the lives of those around us.”
Baskets of small rocks sat at the entrance to the sanctuary. Cain urged youth to decorate them and return them to the church. They’ll become part of a memorial rock garden at Northwestern schools celebrating Aiden and the other students and bus driver recovering from their injuries.
