Blacksmith transforms guns into garden tools

LIMA — The sound of a hammer striking metal in downtown Lima on Saturday symbolized transformation as guns were turned into garden tools. The tools were presented to the City of Lima and Lima-Allen Neighborhoods in Partnership.

The Center for Reconciliation hosted the inaugural “Growing Seeds of Peace” event with RAWtools, drawing in community members eager for inspiration. Paula Syner Belousek, co-director and volunteer at the Center, expressed the motivation behind the event.

“This is inspired by the idea that something that can take a life can be transformed into something that can cultivate life,” she said.

Hobbyist blacksmith and pastor Joel Shenk shared how his passion for blacksmithing aligns with his pastoral work.

“As part of our faith witness, I’ve learned how to take a gun and forge it into a garden tool, inspired by the prophetic vision in the Bible where Isaiah and Micah speak about turning destructive things into life-giving tools,” he explained.

Shenk has served as the pastor at Toledo Mennonite Church for 14 years and has collaborated with RAWtools since 2016.

Shenk’s efforts reflect a broader commitment to community healing, echoed by the Lima Police Department’s participation in the event. They conducted a gun safety workshop, emphasizing the importance of responsible firearm ownership for both gun owners and non-owners.

“Owning a gun is as important a decision as choosing who you decide to live with as an adult,” Lima Police Maj. Ron Holman said.

Holman also demonstrated how to safely unload a gun and highlighted the necessity of securely storing firearms, especially away from children.

In addition to the workshops, attendees heard multiple stories from gun violence survivors and participated in a session led by crime victim services.

Reach Cade Higgins at 567-242-0351