Charlie Kirk Memorial Held in West Nyack

An overflow crowd gathered at Clarkstown Reformed Church in West Nyack on Saturday, September 20, to mourn the deadly shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Kirk, who founded the non-profit organization Turning Point USA when he was 18 years old, was speaking at an event at Utah Valley University when a sniper shot and killed him as he sat on stage. Kirk was speaking to more than 3,000 students who had assembled to hear his views as well to challenge them, a format he was famous for.

The Christian conservative’s murder in front of thousands of onlookers has seen intense reactions from both supporters and opponents of Kirk and of Turning Point USA.

The pews in Clarkstown Reformed Church were filled to capacity, with many standing along the walls at the memorial service for Kirk.

Rev. Richard Hasselbach, who presided over the memorial service, told the overflow crowd that “The Ministry of Charlie Kirk—an activist who proclaimed his faith boldly, even though it was unpopular to some, told young people to have faith, have families and to find what [Founding Father] John Adams called ‘the best foundation for morality.’”

Local and national representatives, including Clarkstown Supervisor George Hoehmann and U.S. Representative Michael Lawler, were in attendance and spoke about the impact Kirk had on the hundreds of college campuses he visited in his role as Turning Point USA’s founder.

It was announced on September 18th that Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk, will take the helm of Turning Point USA to continue the work her husband dedicated his life to. At Kirk’s memorial on Sunday evening, Erika Kirk took to the stage. When discussing the 22 year old man who took her husband’s life, she tearfully said “I forgive him.”