May We Never Forget

This past weekend Wedgwood Baptist Church devoted Sunday services to a memorial for the Wedgwood shooting which took place ten years ago on September 15, 1999. I had moved to Fort Worth less than a month ago, attended Wedgwood on my first Sunday in town, and immediately knew that I had found my church home. As a matter of fact, I told one of my co-workers earlier that evening that I planned to join Wedgwood on Sunday.

I remember the night of September 15 like it was yesterday. I had hoped to go to the youth Saw You at the Pole concert and rally that night, but ended up having to work at LifeWay Christian Store instead. That same co-worker came up to me that evening and said "Did you say you were planning to join Wedgwood on Sunday? There's a gunman in the church right now shooting!" Of course, I immediately became concerned about my new friends (I didn't know if they were there or not) and church family, and began calling my friends trying to find out if they were safe. This was before cell phones were so abundant, and it was quite a bit later that night before I was able to get in touch with all my friends. I remember also calling my parents and grandparents, knowing that if they heard about the shooting and realized it was my church, they would be frantic. That night after work I stayed up late watching the news reports, crying, and praying, and the next morning I saw Brother Al's news conference in which he told the world that we do not grieve without hope, because our hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

Over the next few days, I spent time grieving with friends - though I didn't know any of the victims, I was still quite impacted by the events, and many of my friends were much more personnally affected. Chapel at Southwestern was a sweet, precious time of prayer - one of the best chapel services I ever attended. I joined fellow church and community members at the church to clean up debris from the carpet removal (I clearly remember sweeping the choir loft, a place which would become my favorite spot in the church over the next 10 years). I gave a phone interview with my home church to be aired on Sunday morning, speaking about Ephesians 6:12. I attended Wedgwood's Sunday morning service and was struck by the two choir robes draped over chairs to memorialize the two choir members lost, and was emboldened as we sang "It Is Well With My Soul" and heard a sermon on Romans 8:28. I joined what felt like all of Fort Worth at the TCU stadium that afternoon for a community memorial service, where Brother Al proclaimed the Gospel in no uncertain terms, and Steven Curtis Chapman sang "Be Still and Know" and "With Hope." I fasted and prayed for good to come out of such tragedy, and for the Lord to receive Glory in spite of these events. The Wedgwood shooting was the defining moment of my first semester at Southwestern, and I know that I have grown spiritually in so many ways as a result of the shooting and the events which followed.

Jumping forward ten years - this Sunday was one of the most profound times of worship I have experienced in many years. The atmosphere in the sanctuary was so thick with the Lord's presence. The choir and congregation poured their hearts out in praise to the God who has been faithful in all circumstances.

We prayed

We worshipped

We lifted our hands to the heavens

We sang

We were blessed by a sermon on Choosing Joy

We laid stones of remembrance on the memorial

And we remembered those who have gone before us as a "great cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1)

How blessed I am to be a part of such an amazing church family - to count such godly believers as my friends and family! May we never forget the price that has been paid - by martyrs such as the victims of the Wedgwood shooting but most especially by our Lord and Savior who gave His life so that we might live. And may we never forget to praise Him for His faithfulness... yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

(all photos except the top were taken by my friend Dave Hughling)