Jennifer Garner opened up about some of the significant moments in her life on Sunday as she visited her local church, where she reflected on her family and paid tribute to the victims of the recent El Paso and Dayton shootings in the USA. In a poignant Instagram post, the 13 Going on 30 actress shared a photo from inside the church, and opened up about all the special family events that had taken place there, including her children's christenings and sisters' weddings. She wrote: "I am grateful to be at my family church today, where I giggled during service as a child, where my sisters were married, where my children were baptised."
Jennifer Garner reflected on her family and the recent tragedies in the USA in a poignant post
The Hollywood star then went on to pay her respects to those involved in the El Paso and Dayton shootings. She wrote: "The world is at odds with itself and thoughts and prayers are not enough to make the changes we need – but they are a good and necessary start. We begin by extending broken-hearted prayers to El Paso and Dayton, and by asking for a collective path forward to meaningful action."
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The Hollywood star is mum to three children
Many of Jennifer's followers commented on her poignant message, with one writing: "A beautifully articulate and thoughtful post. We need more people to react as wisely and calmly as you and to find some way to take meaningful action without using it as a podium! Thank you, Jennifer." Another wrote: "Bless you and your beautiful heart," while a third added: "Your values are so inspiring."
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Jennifer often uses her platform to speak out about causes and influence change. The star supports charities including Save the Children and is passionate about the environment and animals. Jennifer shared a video a few months ago to encourage her fans to help save the bees, and when she can, she cooks with homegrown ingredients from her garden in LA. She has also used social media to show her support for the LGBT community, recently posting a video of the film Love Simon, in which she played the mother of a teenage son who comes out to his parents on Christmas morning. The star posted the emotional scene, in which her character tells Simon that he "deserves to exhale", and in the caption she wrote that she had never been more proud to be in a film.
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