Pastors of churches Las Vegas pastors report that the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history has prompted mourning, misery and prayer among their congregations.
Las Vegas was severely shaken when Stephen Paddock, 64, opened fire on people at a country music concert from the Mandalay Bay hotel, killing 59 and injuring more than 500 others.
Michael Rochelle, pastor of Shadow Hills Church in Las Vegas, told Baptist Press that several of her flock were present during the attack, and that three were among those injured.
'We have some of our college students pretty traumatised,' Rochelle said, including one young woman who 'was on the ground and saw the young lady next to her shot in the neck, and she bled out and died in front of her.'
Many churches in the area have been hosting special prayer services in response to the tragedy. Pastors from Shadow Hills have also been providing counselling at a local crisis response site.
'The greatest emphasis for us right now is that we live in a broken world,' Rochelle said. 'Tragedies like this highlight that brokenness, but the brokenness is here. And the answer is our faith in God. It's our hope in Jesus Christ.'
Pastor Hoyt Savage told Baptist Press that 'What people need to hear is hope. The Lord is a tower, and we run to Him. I shared with our people last night one passage that has given me great encouragement through the years in crisis times: Isaiah 41:10,' which states, 'Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.'
Other pastors have posted their reflections on the shooting in blogs or social media.
Russell Moore, president Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention remarked:
'After a natural disaster or an act of terror, one will always find someone, often claiming the mantle of Christianity, opining about how this moment was God's judgment on an individual or a city or a nation for some specified sin. Jesus told us specifically not to do this [...] Those killed in a terror attack or in a tsunami or in an epidemic are not more sinful than all of the rest of us.'
'We do not know why God does not intervene and stop some tragedies when he does stop others. What we do know, though, is that God stands against evil and violence. We know that God is present for those who are hurting. And we know that God will ultimately call all evil to a halt, in the ushering in of his kingdom.'
