KILLEEN, Texas (KXXV) — KILLEEN, TX (KXXV) — For Pastor Lenworth Sealey, faith and action go hand in hand. Leading Killeen’s New Hope Seventh-day Adventist Church since 2021, Sealey has long been committed to improving the community. But after witnessing the heartbreak surrounding the death of 14-year-old Serenity Baker on March 10, he knew it was time for urgent action.
“With the recent events that’ve unfolded in the city, we really dug down and started doing some research, and one word that kept popping up over and over again was bullying,” Sealey explained. “There was a great need to address it—it seemed as if there weren’t sufficient resources," said the pastor.
Watch here to learn about the pastor's efforts:
Rather than simply offering thoughts and prayers, Sealey is working to establish lasting change. His vision? A church-bases initiative, ensuring Killeen is a bully-free community. “Our ultimate goal is a bully-free Killeen. We want to collaborate with others who may see things from another perspective. I’d love to hear the rallying cry all around the city, ‘Let’s Make Killeen a bully-free zone,’” Sealey said.
His first step is simple but critical—raising awareness. “We don’t want this to be swept under the rug, we don’t want to pretend like this didn’t happen, we don’t want this moment to go to waste, for the sake of the young people and Killeen at large,” he emphasized.
By fostering conversations and encouraging families to share their experiences with bullying, Sealey hopes to build empathy and prevention strategies.
“Whether it’s us or a family member who’s been impacted by bullying, and we know about how that felt, what we went through—maybe we can share some of those stories with the community at large if it can help somebody avoid the pitfall,” he said.
As Sealey continues his mission, he hopes local organizations and leaders will rally behind the movement to ensure Killeen’s youth feel safe, heard, and protected.
