Several hundred people in Schuylkill County attended a memorial service for conservative activist Charlie Kirk earlier this month.
The gathering at the Jake’s Fireworks property in West Mahanoy Township, just outside Frackville, was one of the first memorial services held to honor Kirk following his assassination in September.
It also came about a week prior to a nationwide network of memorial services that honored the activist on what would have been his birthday on Oct. 14.
While Kirk is often recognized for his political activism, that wasn’t the focus of the event in Schuylkill County on Oct. 5. Instead, organizers remembered Kirk for his dedication to his faith and how that affected them.
“Charlie Kirk was not just a political voice,” Sophie Saks, one of the featured speakers at the vigil, said. “He was a man of unshakable conviction who stood boldly for freedom of speech, for truth, and for, most importantly, the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Saks said she started binging on Kirk’s online content at age 19 and while she found herself agreeing with his political stances, it was his faith that most attracted her to his message.
“Charlie’s faith reached through the screen and planted something in me that I didn’t even realize I was missing,” she added.
Saks said she would eventually come back to Kirk’s content several years later after experiencing some life setbacks that had her questioning, “Why me?”
“I just remember Charlie’s words. ‘Give you life to Jesus and he will rescue you.’ And so I did,” Saks told the crowd.
Frackville Borough Councilman Brian Russell said during the memorial service that Kirk helped bring him closer to God.
He told those in attendance that the reason they’re possibly feeling more sorrow from Kirk’s death is that they realize it was more than just losing a voice that mirrored theirs.
“When a voice like his goes silent, something in the atmosphere shifts. The reason it feels heavier than so many other tragedies is because your spirit recognizes this is not just about a man, it’s about a battle,” Russell said. “If you’re wondering why this hits so hard, it’s because your soul knows this is bigger than news. This is bigger than politics. This is about eternity, about truth, about the weight of a man who life carried both.”
Pastor Josh Hughes, of Calvary Baptist Church in Frackville, encouraged those in attendance to act as Kirk did in spreading the word of Jesus.
“What Schuylkill County needs is Jesus. What Frackville and Pottsville and Tamaqua needs is Jesus,” Hughes said. “But what I want you to think about is how will they ever hear of Jesus if we don’t tell them about Jesus. Let’s be bold and courageous like Charlie and tell others about Jesus.”
Haley Leitzel, of Ashland, was one of the several hundred people who attended the Charlie Kirk vigil. She told The Canary that it was important for her to come out and support the cause because Kirk’s message reached her.
“He wasn’t afraid to spread what he believed and what he felt was right,” Leitzel said.
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