Church leaders are doing what they can to help families as they bury their loved ones in Uvalde, TX.
Pastor Douglas Swimmer at Potter’s House Christian Fellowship Church in Uvalde said the healing process for victims’ families and the entire city will continue well after this story eventually fades from the headlines and nightly news.
“The healing doesn’t start until everybody leaves,” Pastor Swimmer said. “The community is desperately waiting for that process to start.”
With only 16,000 residents, there’s a small-town feel, and Swimmer says almost everyone knows someone connected to the tragedy.
The moment he learned about the shootings, he drove to the hospital to minister to grieving families. But what do you say after a gunman robs your community of 19 children and two teachers?
“Some people rejected prayer when I was in the hospital,” Swimmer explained. “It was difficult because you want to extend that hope and love with them but it’s a difficult thing to process.”
Pastor Swimmer is one of several faith leaders helping families navigate the grieving process. He told CBN News his desire is to show Uvalde that there is a light that shines in the darkness.
“Sometimes we don’t know the ‘why,’ but we know the ‘who,'” he said. “The ‘who’ is Jesus Christ that can help us – and the hope is, He will console us when no man can.”
This week marks the beginning of an unrelenting cycle of memorials, flowers, and funerals for the victims.
The grief is palpable, and so is the support. Pamela Ellis drove all the way from Houston to give her condolences to the victim’s families.
“The family was very open to embrace our support,” Ellis noted. “And we said, ‘We’re praying for you.’ And this is what community looks like … to come and just provide support no matter where you are.”
While funerals proceed over the next two weeks, so does the Justice Department’s review of the emergency response.
Texas authorities say the school district police chief wrongly believed the situation no longer included an active shooter, allowing the gunman’s rampage to continue for more than an hour.
Just two months ago, the Uvalde School District conducted active shooter training. The documentation states that the priority in such an event would be to confront the attacker.
With questions still being asked about the timeline of the shooting and the aftermath, Uvalde’s mayor says local police did not mislead anyone regarding the response.
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