The aftermath of Wedgwood Baptist Church
The following is a letter that has come to me indirectly. I found it so moving, that had to share it with you here.
By now almost everyone has heard of the tragedy that took place on Sept. 15, 1999, when a gunman entered Wedgwood Baptist Church and killed 7 people and injured 7 others before taking his own life.
That morning had been the day of "See You at the Pole," when studentsgather around their flagpole in
the morning to pray for their school and nation. What the media hasn't
reported however, is how God has been so evident, both during and after the
shooting. He has done amazing works!
Before The Shooting: Our pastor, Brother Al, had prayed that God would do
whatever it took to expand the ministry of Wedgwood Baptist Church. Our
church is one that is used as a model of how NOT to pick a location,
because no one in the world can find it. Now almost everyone in the world
knows
exactly where it is.
Evidence of God's Control During The Shooting: To enter the church, the
gunman walked past our children's playground, which should have been full
of kids, but for some reason every single children's and preschool class
was
running late. No one had made it to the playground yet.
***He fired over 100 bullets into a crowd of over 400, but only 14 people
were hit.
***He did not shoot the over 60 bullets he still had with him.
***The bottom fell off of the pipe bomb he threw, and the bomb landed
without ever exploding.
***One of the youth that was wounded (she was shielding a disabled friend
with her body) has scoliosis. The curve in her spine directed the bullet
away from major organs, saving her from serious injury.
***Because the first 911 call came in on a police radio, emergency
vehicles were dispatched immediately, without spending precious time to
verify that
call was real.
***One of the people in the church at the time was a paramedic, and he was
able to stop bleeding and stabilize injured people before the emergency
crews arrived.
***Leaders were able to get the children out of the building without the
kids having to see any victims or any of the mess.
***Each children's worker stayed with his/her class even though they all
had children elsewhere in the building, and some had teens in the
sanctuary.
Not one worker left his or her post.
***None of the adults who died have children.
***All 7 victims were not just Christians, but bold Christians who were
passionate about their faith. "You intended to harm me, but God intended
it for good to accomplish what is not being done, the saving of many
lives."
(Genesis 50:20)
What God has done since the shooting:
***Many denominations have pulled together to offer help and support. One
example is the United Methodist Church who sent 15 people the following
Sunday to cover our child care. They didn't want any church members to
have to miss the service because they were taking care of the children.
***A church in Tulsa, Oklahoma drove over 5 hours just so they could march
around our church and pray during our Sunday morning services.
***The Fort Worth Police Dept. planted flowers in the flower beds before
we reentered the sanctuary to worship.
***We have received over 10,000 emails, 5000 cards, and $60,000 from all
over the world.
***Al Meredith, our pastor, has had the microphone in his face continually
and has over and over given an outstanding answer to the reason for our
hope. He presented the gospel beautifully on Larry King Live when prompted
by a question asked by Vice President Al Gore.
***Because of the live news coverage and interviews, over 200 million
people have heard the gospel because of this tragedy. ***Fifteen thousand
turned
out for a community wide service at TCU football stadium. Brother Al gave
a very serious challenging message calling for a day of fasting and
heart-searching (Monday the 20th). The service was broadcast live in its
entirety on WBAP 820, which is a news station that covers most of north
Texas. This same news station has replayed our pastor's first press
conference due to people calling in and requesting to hear his comforting
words again.
***CNN also broadcast the memorial service live. Amazingly, because one
of the victim's families lives and works in Saudi Arabia, that country
allowed the service to be broadcast there as well. In Saudi Arabia it is
illegal
to say the name of Jesus on the street.
***Because of that same CNN broadcast, 35 people in Japan gave their lives
to Christ.
***When President Clinton finally got through to him, Brother Al ended
their conversation by praying, after gaining permission, for the Clinton
family.
***At several schools, students met around their flagpoles the next day.
At one school 25 students accepted Christ, and 110 at another.
***A teacher led 22 students to Christ in her classroom.
***Christian teachers all over North Texas have been able to share with
their classes because the students are asking questions about their
teachers' faith.
***In Burleson, prayers and Scripture are being said over the intercom.
***On the east coast, where "See You at the Pole" was delayed because of
the hurricane, record numbers of kids showed up to pray.
***Governor Bush and the Fort Worth mayor quietly came to our pastor's
home while the staff were meeting and praying and joined in the prayer
meeting.
This was not political! Only those who are close to staff members heard
about this; the media never knew.
***Governor Bush has visited with our pastor several times, and Brother Al
has had an impact on him. Just think of the influence our pastor could
have if Governor Bush is the next president!
***A caller to an area Christian radio station said that he didn't know
what those people had but he wanted it. The DJ proceeded to lead him to
Christ.
Many notes left in front of the church contain the same sentiment. Those
who don't know Jesus want what we have!
***The church has received so many e-mails asking us how we are able to
have hope and continue on. There are teams of church member volunteers
responding to these emails.
***My friend Jodi has been praying for her husband for years. She and
their 4-yr-old daughter were at the church that night. 3 days ago Scott
gave his
life to Christ.
***We have had over 70,000 hits on our web page which displays the plan of
salvation in multiple languages.
***Many members at Wedgwood Baptist are healing broken relationships
within the body and experiencing spiritual renewal. These are just a few of
the
miracles that are happening. God's grace is almost overwhelming.
Every time the gunman fired a bullet, he intended to take a life. Yet God
turned that around and saved several lives for each bullet fired. The
faith of those who died has been multiplied many times over. "I thank my
God
through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported
all over the world.." Romans 1:8
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In Christ,
Chad
Wedgwood Baptist Church