1 of 3

I was on my way home Wednesday night when a police car passed me at a very high speed with lights flashing and a full siren. I drove by the area fire station and noted that both trucks were gone. About that time an ambulance wailed passed me.

I had the radio on, and as I approached my house in Fort Worth, Texas, the Christian radio station KCBI interrupted its regular programming to ask listeners to pray for people at a church in Fort Worth. It seems a gunman had walked into the church and opened fire. Initial reports were that several people had been injured. As I got out of my car, I noticed police helicopters hovering in the air about a half-mile away.

To be honest, I really didn't think of Wedgwood Baptist Church, just a few blocks away from my house. Rather, I figured that a major accident had occurred on the interstate. When I got into the house, my wife had the TV on but said that our reception was very poor because of cable damage in the area. Earlier, the network had broken in with an announcement that a gunman had opened fire on a youth rally at Wedgwood Baptist.

I went into my study and turned on my radio. The news was not good. I thought for a moment of going to the church but decided that if the situation was as chaotic as the newscaster indicated, I would be an unnecessary person in a growing crowd of concerned parents and church members. I stayed home and prayed.

Tragedy Strikes Home
Wedgwood is Southern Baptist, a sister church to the one I attend in Fort Worth. It is near South western Baptist Seminary, where I serve on the faculty. A large number of our seminary students are members of Wedgwood. Some of my doctoral students are on staff at the church, and others serve as interns or in other positions of leadership at the church.

In the midst of my prayers, the phone rang. The caller was Walter Norvell, a doctoral student at the seminary and a member of Wedgwood. He was obviously shaken by the events of the evening but was calling to tell me that he and his family were all right.

Two of my students had been shot, however. Norvell said he had seen Kevin (Galey) loaded into an air ambulance. He had also heard that Jeff (Laster) was one of the first shot and was probably dead. I told Walter I was thankful that he and his family were okay and that I would continue to pray for the others.

About that time, my wife said the cable was back up. Newscasters were naming some of the injured. The initial list included a Jeff Lester; did they really mean Jeff Laster? We watched through the night, waiting for more names. The deaths were not reported.

Aftershocks
When I went to my 8 a.m. class the next day, I looked for Jeff, but his seat was vacant. I told the class that Jeff had been shot and I wasn't certain whether he was still alive. A couple of students said they had heard Jeff was still alive but in serious condition, with gunshot wounds in his stomach. We had a long prayer session for the victims and the church.

next page... |  1 of 3

share this page