After 28 years at Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen, Senior Pastor John Mark Caton confessed he longed for some word or phrase to “fix it”—to make right what had gone so terribly wrong in his city.
More than 2,000 community residents and guests gathered at Cottonwood Creek Church—about 25 miles north of Dallas—on Sunday to mourn, pray and comfort one another.
They grieved together in the wake of a mass shooting at a nearby mall the day before—the second most-deadly shooting in the country this year.
Saturday afternoon, a gunman opened fire outside the Allen Premium Outlets with an assault rifle, killing eight people and wounding seven others before he was shot fatally by police.
The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the slain shooter as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia. Motive remained unknown, but some media outlets reported law enforcement was investigating suspected sympathies toward white supremacists and far-right-wing extremists.
‘We are here for you’
Reading from Isaiah 61, Caton spoke of the need to “bind up the brokenhearted,” to “comfort those who mourn” and bring “good news” when the news is unbearably tragic.
“We are here for you,” he said, noting ministers and licensed professional counselors were available at the community prayer gathering for any who needed them.
Without seeking to prescribe specific answers, Caton recognized educators, first responders, public officials, faith leaders and mental health professionals in attendance.
“You are part of the solution,” he said.
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Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, state Sen Angela Paxton, attended the prayer service, along with other state and local officials.
‘Jesus, take the wheel’
Only two of about 30 public officials—Mayor Ken Fulk and Mayor-elect Baine Brooks—spoke publicly from the platform at the service.
Fulk told those in attendance the city is making available free counseling—24 hours a day, seven days a week—to any who desire it.
An emotional Brooks put aside his prepared remarks, saying he wanted to speak from the heart.
“We’re going to need prayer. … Jesus, take the wheel,” he said.
Speakers at the service focused on prayer for specific groups—shooting victims and their families, first responders, and the community and its leaders—and offering comfort to those who were grieving, rather than talking about public policy.
“It’s OK to cry out to God,” said Kelly Kitsch, children’s minister at Cottonwood Creek Church. “I don’t try to prescribe solutions to our Almighty God, because his ways are so much higher than our own.”
Executive Pastor Scott Sanford prayed for “a peace that transcends all understanding.”
“We ask to be comforted by your arms of love,” Sanford said. “And we ask for healing for the brokenhearted.”
Some propose solutions
Away from the church service, some elected officials and faith leaders were less muted in their thoughts about the mass shooting.
Interviewed on Fox News Sunday, Abbott mentioned efforts to increase penalties for criminals who possess guns, but he emphasized the need to focus on mental health rather than gun control.
“People want a quick solution. The long-term solution here is to address the mental health issue,” Abbott said.
Dwight McKissic, senior pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, about 50 miles southwest of Cottonwood Creek Church, tweeted: “There should be laws against permitting a gun able to do this kind of damage to be purchased by citizens. … To watch this kind of carnage now on a regular basis, year after year, I’ve reached the conclusion it’s immoral to permit citizens to own & possess such weapons.”
McKissic asserted a consistent pro-life position cuts across political party lines, opposing easy access to abortion and to assault weapons. He called on politicians “from both sides of the aisle” to enact laws and adopt policies that protect life.
“These senseless, tragic murders in the womb & in the malls, schools, churches, [and] public places must cease,” he tweeted.
In a challenge to Christians, he tweeted: “The gun lobby can’t have a stronger voice on these issues than the church.”
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