Posted: 5/14/04
God gave strength after Wedgwood shooting, pastor recalls
By John Hall
Texas Baptist Communications
DALLAS–Pastor Al Meredith vividly remembers the phone call that changed his life and the path of his congregation: “You've got to get down here. Someone's shooting the kids.”
That Sept. 15, 1999, evening, Meredith discovered a man had walked into a youth prayer service at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth and opened fire, killing seven people before pulling the trigger on himself.
| Kevin Galey , director of the counseling center at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, receives his doctor's degree in psychology and counseling from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Galey was among the church members shot by Larry Gene Ashbrook at Wedgwood Baptist Church in 1999. |
Speaking at a Baptist General Convention of Texas prayer breakfast during the Texas Crime Victim Clearinghouse Conference, Meredith choked with emotion as he recounted some of the lives that were lost that evening.
He spoke of Sydney Browning, the “most popular” person in the church; Kim Jones, a recently converted Texas Christian University student; and Shawn Brown, a seminary student married 22 months.
But God provides hope through the darkest times, the pastor said, and the shooting is no different. Because of the attack, Meredith was able to share the Christian message of hope in Jesus with the world through the media. He gave the invocation at the Cotton Bowl Classic.
As the congregation began dealing with the deaths, the church became an example of clinging to faith through tragedy for other believers to follow, Meredith said at the BGCT Mission Equipping Center-sponsored event. The youth group spoke to assemblies about their experience and faith. Meredith has spoken at numerous ministers' meetings about crises.
The congregation has felt a stronger presence of God in worship since the incident, according to Meredith. He believes God has blessed the church to help the congregation continue their faith and lives.
“God has given us such a sweet spirit of joy and forgiveness,” Meredith said.
As individuals heard the positive outlook of the church, they became interested in it, Meredith noticed. People traveled from out of town to attend the church. Attendance increased 50 percent in the past four years to 1,500 during Sunday worship.
“People came looking for the church,” the pastor said.
The work and growth of the church since the shooting is a testament to God's reliability, Meredith added. Like he does for all people, God continues supporting the congregation that remains scarred by tragedy.
“God is God all the time,” Meredith said. “He is not under review.”
Despite the hope, pain still runs deep throughout the congregation, Meredith said. He understood post traumatic syndrome is “real,” but he now knows it returns in waves even four years after the shooting. But church members continue believing God will carry them onward.
“Don't ask us when we'll get over it,” he said. “We'll never get over it. We'll get through it.”
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