September 18, 2000

Wedgwood still sees God's grace through pain
___By Todd Starnes
___Baptist Press
___FORT WORTH (BP)--It's been a year since crime scene tape encircled Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth.
___Grieving families have buried their dead, and many of the physically wounded have been healed. Carpets soaked with the blood of the innocent were taken away. Bullet-riddled pews were replaced, and walls were patched. And a congregation of believers continues on its journey to emotional healing.
___The story of what happened on the night of Sept. 15, 1999, is complex. But, at the same time, it is a story as simple as the gospel message, said Al Meredith, senior pastor of the 2,400-member church. The story of Wedgwood Baptist Church is a story about God's grace, he said.
___"Here is the message," Meredith said during an interview in his sparse office. "God is in control, and he loves us. That is a rock-bottom, foundational truth.
___"God is faithful," Merritt said, reflecting on the past 12 months of ministry. "The steadfast love of the Lord never changes. No matter the pit, God's love is deeper still.
___"It sounds cheesy, but we endured this tragedy through the grace and the love of the Lord," he said. "What else can you say? The fact of the matter, it was the Lord who gives grace. It was the Lord who was faithful. This was all about the Lord."
___In the year since the tragedy, the congregation added 224 new members, 41 through baptism. Weekday Bible study groups are scattered throughout the city, and men gather in the wee morning hours to fellowship over coffee and the Bible at a nearby restaurant.
___The work of God continues, Meredith said, despite that terrible night when a mentally

JUSTIN LAIRD, left, and his girlfriend, Debbie Harrison, discuss how he survived the Wedgwood shooting. He was shot in the back . (Photo by Jim Veneman/Baptist Press)

ill gunman took the lives of seven worshipers--Kristi Beckel, Shawn Brown, Sydney Browning, Joey Ennis, Cassie Griffin, Kim Jones and Justin Ray.
___Officially, the criminal case has been closed, according to Lt. David Burgess, the Fort Worth Police Department's public information officer. "To be honest, we may never know why Larry Gene Ashbrook chose Wedgwood Baptist Church," Burgess said. "But we know this was not a hate crime.
___"He made some very sad comments about Baptists and religion, but you have to take into account his mental condition," Burgess added.
___Nevertheless, David and Tralissa Griffin believe there was a spiritual battle at work the night their daughter Cassie was murdered.
___"We've been asked about the political climate being the cause, gun control, everything," Griffin said. "My feeling is you can't legislate morality. Gun laws won't keep this from happening again. The problem is the heart of man."
___Returning to the sanctuary where their daughter died was difficult, Griffin said. "Spiritual warfare took place here, and we chose to continue to worship here. If Satan had run us away, we would have lost the battle."
___"One thing is certain," Meredith added. "Even in this particular manifestation of evil, the sovereign hand of God was over all things. There were 200 rounds of ammunition. We should have had hundreds of funerals."
___The families of those who lost children, spouses and relatives are continuing to find God's grace to embrace each new day, Meredith has said in numerous speeches around the nation. But the emotional healing is a difficult journey, he often points out.
___"God is a God of provision," said Kathy Jo Brown, whose husband, Shawn, was gunned down in a church hallway. "He is a God who gave me the ability to get out of bed. It was a blessing to walk and not faint."
___As further evidence of God's grace, she cites what happened in Wedgwood's evening worship service Aug. 13.
___"There was a boy in our Sunday school class, and his father was not a Christian. Last August, Shawn and I took them to dinner and we began praying for him to accept Christ. And one year later, the father came forward and asked Jesus into his heart. Isn't God just wonderful?" she said.
___Meredith smiles as he predicts that Wedgwood is the most prayed-for church in history. Moments after the shooting, images of the tragedy were broadcast around the world on television and the Internet.
___"We are doing so well because the whole Christian world is praying for us," Meredith

See a timeline of the Wedgewood tragedy

said. "We've had 20,000 cards and 13,000 e-mails sent to us. People are praying for us, and that's how we got through.
___"God seems to pour out his grace on the basis of our prayers," he noted. "Let me tell you that my fellow pastors in the Tarrant Baptist Association are the best friends I could have. They pray for us, and our churches pray for each other. The one central thing is our prayer ministry. If that's not strong and healthy, your church won't be strong and healthy."
___The Griffins, too, acknowledge the power of prayer in dealing with the death of their daughter.
___"We hurt very deeply," Griffin said. "We miss our daughter incredibly. But it is our faith in God that sustains us."
___Every Sunday morning, about 30 members arrive before dawn to begin praying for the day's worship services. Led by the pastor, a faithful band of senior adults, moms and dads and seminary students prays over every pew.
___"I know there are lots of people still struggling," said Marty Anderson, who was rehearsing with the church orchestra when the shooting started. "But that's part of the grace. You know, the losses here were significant."
___No one probably knows that better than Kevin Galey, Wedgwood's minister of counseling and community. Galey was shot three times.
___He returned to work after nearly five months of recovery, although doctors said he will suffer permanent disability in his hip.
___Even as a professional counselor, dealing with the shooting has been difficult, he said.
___"After a while, there was an attitude toward the victims of 'Why aren't you guys better yet?' One woman suggested we just talk about the victory and not the tragedy," Galey said. "A large group of folks wanted to go on before we were ready to move on."
___Even today, many families are still involved in therapy and counseling, he said.
___And Galey eventually found himself so involved in other people's lives that he didn't deal with his own grief.
___"There were these stages of grief," he said. "For a time I was angry at myself, and then I became angry at the church. I was probably angry at God.
___"Some people would tell me that God must have something wonderful for me. Well, couldn't he have given it to me without being shot?"
___Perhaps Baptists try to find all the answers because they don't know how to deal with tragedy, Galey suggested.
___"Let me tell you, not enough good things have happened at Wedgwood Baptist Church to justify what happened on Sept. 15 ... to compensate for the loss of seven people."
___But, still, there are glimpses of God's grace, he said. "Where evil abounds, his grace is more abundant."
___Meredith confirmed that some of the young people are struggling with depression and panic attacks.
___Kevin Pratt, 15, said that even now there are things that trigger memories of that terrible night. "Certain smells or sounds like a firecracker going off, ... a lot of those things take me back there," he said.
___Theresa Mitchell, 16, started a scrapbook to deal with the tragedy. "It was soothing to put it all in a book," she said. "You know something, God was there that night with us."
___Meredith acknowledged the one-year anniversary of the shooting will be a real crisis for some people.
___"It will be hard," he said. "But it is part of the healing. Face your fear and pain. Don't deny it. Don't stuff it. Deal with it in a positive way. Weep with those who weep."

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