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What Was God Doing at Wedgwood?

After the shooting, the church sees good amid the evil.

by Randy Bishop

For many young people in Fort Worth, Texas, September 15, 1999, started with prayer around their high school's flagpole. After taking a public stand for their faith, about 400 youth gathered in the sanctuary of Wedgwood Baptist Church for a See-You-at-the-Pole rally that night. Alleluias rang out as a Christian band led the group in singing praises.

Suddenly a lone gunman burst in. Larry Ashbrook killed seven people—Shawn Brown, 23; Sydney Browning, 36; Justin Ray, 17; Cassie Griffin, 14; Joey Ennis, 14; Kristi Beckel, 14; Kim Jones, 23—before committing suicide.

At first, many thought the gunman was part of a skit. But they soon realized the bullets weren't blanks and the blood wasn't ketchup. Many of the youth, plus 150 adults and children, at Wedgwood that night must have wondered where God was. But in the weeks following the tragedy, they, and the world, have found that God didn't abandon them.

Drawing from the church's official Web site and other sources, here are some confirmed instances of God's hand at work:

• Although the deaths and injuries were tragic, the devastation could have been much worse. Sixty-eight bullets were fired and only 14 people were hit. About 90 bullets remained unused. A bomb Ashbrook fashioned blew up in the sanctuary, but most of the shrapnel went into the ceiling, injuring no one. Police described Ashbrook as a poor shot and terrible bomb maker.

• All of Ashbrook's victims were believers.

• Though it was a beautiful night, no children were on the church's playground, which Ashbrook had to walk past to enter the church. The shooter did not come to the nursery or elementary school areas of the church, and leaders were able to get the children out with very few of them seeing anything but police cars and fire trucks.

• One of the first 911 calls came from Chip Gillette, a church member who is also a police officer. Because the call came in on a police radio, there was no question of its legitimacy. Police arrived almost immediately.

Gillette had been napping in his home across the street from the church, when he was awakened by his barking dog. He went outside, heard shots being fired, called 911, and went over to the church with his gun. He entered the sanctuary at the same time the gunman killed himself.

• A paramedic, Art DeFord, was at church that night and gave some of the victims immediate medical attention, stabilizing them before other emergency personnel arrived.

• Heather MacDonald, 18, who has Down Syndrome, did not understand what was happening during the shooting and wanted to see what was going on. Her friend, Mary Beth Talley, 17, was trying to hold her down under the pews for safety. In the process Talley was wounded by a bullet. She has scoliosis and the curve in her spine may have directed the bullet away from major organs.

• All of the injured have been released from the hospital and are recovering—Mary Beth Talley, Robert DeBord, 17, Justin Laird, 16, Nicholas Skinner, 14, Kevin Galey, 38, Jeff Laster, 34, and Jaynanne Brown, 41.

Good news from the bad
• Fifteen thousand people attended a community-wide service at the football stadium of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. Al Meredith, Wedgwood's senior pastor, challenged people to pray and fast on Monday, the 20th. The service was broadcast live on a local television station and on CNN. Because Kim Jones's parents live and work in Saudi Arabia, that country, which is closed to the gospel, allowed portions of the service to be broadcast there.

• A DJ at a local Christian radio station (KLTY) was able to lead a caller to Christ. The caller had said he wanted what the church members had.

• When prompted by a question from Vice President Al Gore, Pastor Meredith was able to present the gospel clearly on the television show, "Larry King Live." In the days following the tragedy, Meredith was also able to pray with President Bill Clinton and Texas Governor George W. Bush.

• The husband of a church member professed a newfound faith in Christ shortly after the shooting. His wife, Jodi, and three-year-old daughter were at the church during the shooting, as he watched the scene unfold on television. The wife had been praying, with others, for his salvation for two years. She says that the shooting helped him realize he was not in control of everything around him.

Show of support
• Members from a local church covered childcare on the following Sunday, allowing Wedgwood workers to be in the service.

• The singles group from Garnett Road Baptist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, came to the church to pray and march around the perimeter on the following Sunday as well.

• A Fort Worth police officer planted flowers in front of the church before services were held again.

• The church has received more than 15,000 e-mails and hundreds of letters, postcards, and banners from around the world. When displayed, they covered most of the church's hallways from top to bottom. Volunteers have spent hours processing and responding to e-mails and letters.

• Wedgwood's Web site, www.wedgwoodbc.org, had 100,000 visits as of December 1, 1999. The site offers a link to the site of the North American Mission Board (SBC), which displays the plan of salvation in multiple languages.

• The church has received more than $100,000 in unsolicited donations. They have established a committee to determine how it will be spent.

• Sydney Browning's family has set up a youth scholarship fund in her name. The survivors of other victims have also set up funds in their honor.

A Christian Reader original article.

Copyright © 2000 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine (formerly Christian Reader).
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