April 21, 1999

Counter random violence with
acts of kindness, speakers urge
___By Dan Martin
___Texas Baptist Communications
___SAN ANTONIO--Joe Williams sees random violence as being like flipping a pebble into a pond and watching the ripples eddy out farther and farther from the epicenter.
___Williams, a Baptist chaplain, illustrated the reach and depth of random violence by telling of a young man who had been married only a few months when the Oklahoma City federal building was bombed April 19, 1995.
___The young man's father-in-law was one of the victims. He stood beside his new wife as she grieved, and he grieved with her. She finally told him she wanted to move back in with her mother and sister because they "understood" her grief and what she was experiencing and he couldn't
___He agreed, reluctantly. Soon, she told him she wanted a divorce. Then she moved to the West Coast, as far away as possible from the place of her grief.
___Williams quoted the young man as saying: "If it hadn't been for Tim McVeigh, I would still be happily married. Now Debbie (not the woman's real name) and I will never have the baby we dreamed of having together. All because of him."
___Random violence strikes unexpectedly and with horrible ferocity, according to Williams and other speakers at a conference on the church dealing with random violence. The event at First Baptist Church of San Antonio was sponsored jointly by the Baptist General Convention of Texas, LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention and San Antonio Baptist Association.
___The program featured Williams, a Federal Bureau of Investigation chaplain in Oklahoma City, along with Bruce Tippett, pastor of First Baptist Church of Jonesboro, Ark.
___"Random violence leaves you without a rational basis of response," said Tippitt, who ministered in the aftermath of a school shooting by two boys, ages 11 and 13. "It is random--without cause and effect--and it is violence of unimaginable proportions."
___Brooks Faulkner, head of the LeaderCare department at LifeWay, offered guidelines for dealing with random violence:
___ Realize that some questions have no answers. He encouraged caregivers not to give cliche or pat answers to complicated issues.
___ Help victims understand that not all events are connected. For example, just because a mother was late getting home did not cause her daughter's abduction and death.
___ Help people not assume blame for bad things they didn't cause. A parent is not to blame for a murdered child, nor is a grieving spouse guilty because his mate has cancer.
___ Point people to the "real question," which is "What am I going to do about it?"
___"Who does suffering serve?" Faulkner asked. "Dorothee Sowelle, the German theologian, speaks of 'the devil's martyrs' and 'God's martyrs.' The 'devil's martyrs' force themselves into despair and disbelief. 'God's martyrs' give illness room to exist, accept accidents as a fact of life and regard human tragedy as inevitable."
___Additional suggestions for immediate response after an act of random violence were given by Tommy Mitchell, pastor of First Baptist Church of Pearl, Miss. He was unable to speak at the conference due to an injury but made his material available.
___On Oct. 1, 1997, a teen with a troubled past walked into Pearl High School and opened fire, killing two teenage girls and wounding seven others. He had killed his mother before coming to school.
___Having walked through that experience, Mitchell developed material suggesting ways the church can deal with random violence, which he predicted is "coming to a town near you."
___He suggested three immediate responses:
___ Start with the greatest need. For example, are church members directly involved as victims, students, faculty, police, EMS, fire or other officials?
___ Evaluate your capacity to render servant ministries. Could your church be a relief center or shelter, supply food or drink, provide transportation or help with injury notification?
___ "Drop everything else--everyone else already has."
___Mitchell also talked of the role of the preacher and noted that churches can have special prayer or informal memorial services, but he recommended that pastors "not speak of this event every time they worship."
___Several urged churches to create a crisis response plan, including organization and budget, development of a media plan, preparation for use of buildings and personnel, and relationships with hospital and law enforcemen.
___All the speakers urged caregivers to pay special attention to law enforcement personnel when tragedy strikes.
___"Law enforcement and other personnel will respond to the crisis in some fashion. Some will be visibly angry, others shaken, some sick, some very quiet, some will just shrug it off," Mitchell said.
___Williams told of suicides, divorce, depression, drinking and drug problems which have affected Oklahoma City caregivers.
___Even many of the dogs brought into find survivors and bodies have died prematurely, he said, because of depression picked up from their handlers.
___"Occasionally we would have to bury a live person in the rubble so the dogs could have a success experience," he said.
___All the speakers agreed that the effect of random violence--whether a bombing, a schoolyard shooting, a rape/murder of a child--sends ripples out in unexpected directions and with unexpected and unintended consequences, changing the lives of all it touches.
___

See related stories:

Pastor's advice: Listen more than talk

Chaplain: Caring carries high cost for caregivers

Church must 'restore' community

Two mothers found grace to forgive the men who killed their daughters

Prayer meeting shooting brings churches together

---

Frontpage / Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!