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Aurora community gathers for prayer

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6:00 P.M. ET July 20, 2012



A UMNS photo by Kathleen Barry.
A UMNS photo by Kathleen Barry.
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After a lone gunman entered a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., early on July 20, killing at least a dozen people, the stunned community rallied to support survivors, pray for those who lost loved ones and prepare for a vigil that evening at the city municipal building.

United Methodist-related Iliff School of Theology kept its chapel open for prayer all day.

News reports said the shooter tossed tear gas before opening fire on the terrified audience. Dozens of theater-goers, including a 3-month-old baby, were wounded. Federal law-enforcement officers identified the shooter as James Holmes, 24.

Emma Goos, 19, daughter of the Rev. Ken Berve, was attending the midnight screening of “The Dark Knight Rises” with several friends when the gunman entered the theater, walked past them and began shooting. All but one of her friends — a young man — escaped unscathed. The condition of the friend, who was shot, was unknown as this story was written.

“Emma got out of the theater and immediately called us,” said Berve, pastor of Grant Avenue United Methodist Church in Denver.

“My wife, Judy, and I were sitting at home, just a few blocks from the theater, when we started hearing sirens.” They headed to Gateway High School, where police interviewed Emma and other survivors.

“It was a long night,” Berve said.

‘Where the church needs to be’

The Rev. Steve Goodier, Denver Metro District superintendent, said he and his colleagues are trying to learn if any United Methodists were among the dead or injured. But at times like this, he said, denominational divisions don’t matter. He cited the example of local pastor Elizabeth Jackson.

“United Methodist clergy don't just minister to their own parishioners,” Goodier said. “Elizabeth knows 12 people who were at the theater. I believe six were shot, and three of those are in surgery or in the hospital. Elizabeth is at the hospital now, sitting with families and doing the hard work of pastoral care to folk outside The United Methodist Church. So her work is reaching people who are, in some cases, just beginning their Christian journey. And that is where the church needs to be.”

The Rev. Steven Mitchell serves Mountain View United Church, Aurora. Mountain View is an ecumenical congregation affiliated with The Presbyterian Church (USA), The United Church of Christ and The United Methodist Church, and Mitchell is a UCC pastor.

Incidents like this “are really heartbreaking,” he said. “It makes you feel very vulnerable about going to public places. You realize how easily you could be targeted for no apparent reason and see how tragic it is for all of the families affected.”

Mitchell said he has been doing a sermon series based on “Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived” by Rob Bell.” Ironically, the topic for Sunday, July 22, is hell. While we need to understand that hell is real, he noted, we need to “spread the love of Jesus Christ as much as possible.”

“Whenever we’re ministering to others, we’re actually ministering to Christ. That’s the counteraction to hell.”

Prayers and calls to action

The Rev. Gil Caldwell was pastor of Park Hill United Methodist Church, Denver, when the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School occurred, just 20 miles from Aurora. Reflecting on the latest tragedy, he said, “Today, regardless of who we are, where we live or what our politics may be, we are all ‘family.’

“And even though it is a greater challenge, my Christian faith compels me to remember the one who did the killing as well as his family. Tragedies like this evoke anger, questions and doubts in most of us. But my faith keeps me from falling victim to hatred.”

Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence issued a statement. “We … hold in prayer the victims and families of the tragic shooting in Aurora, Colo. Like all those who suffer from gun violence, we appreciate the expressions of grief and concern from our nation's leaders. But, these expressions are not enough. Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence pledges to work with our nation's leaders to do all we can to make sure that tragedies like this do not happen again.” James Winkler, who heads the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, is chair of the religious coalition.

The Board of Church and Society also called on Congress to stand up to the gun lobby and pass “common-sense policies” to ensure public safety.

On the campaign trail in Fort Myers, Fla., President Barack Obama turned attention to the tragedy. “It’s what we do on a daily basis to give our lives meaning and to give our lives purpose — that’s what matters,” he said. “At the end of the day, what we’ll remember will be those we loved and what we did for others. That’s why we’re here.”

*Dunlap-Berg is internal content editor for United Methodist Communications, Nashville, Tenn.

News media contact: Barbara Dunlap-Berg, Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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