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A UMNS Report
By Barbara Dunlap-Berg*
Jan. 11, 2011
Candles surround a portrait of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.,
during a vigil outside the Tucson University Medical Center. A web-only
photo by Shaukat Masood Zafar.
Responding to the Jan. 8 shootings in Tucson, Ariz., United
Methodists around the world are joining in prayer for the six killed and
more than dozen wounded. U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., the
apparent target, remains in critical condition.
The Rev. Mark Maddox, pastor of Tucson’s Sanctuary United Methodist
Church, altered his already-prepared Sunday sermon to reflect on the
tragedy.
“There have always been senseless acts like the one we had yesterday,” he said, “and we may ask ourselves, where was God?
“Not for a second do I believe that God caused this to happen. I tend
to look at the response. Two people tackled the gunman — while he still
had bullets in the gun. To me, that’s God working in their hearts.
“We could list several other ways God’s been working through this
incident,” he said, “from the first responders, to the medical team, to
the way the country stopped and prayed – and this list goes on.”
Two Tucson United Methodist congregations — St. Mark’s and Desert
Skies — held evening prayer vigils on Jan. 8. Similar events took place
at the State Capitol in Phoenix and outside Giffords’ district office in
Tucson.
St. Mark’s is the closest in proximity to where the shootings
occurred. The Rev. Sharon Ragland, senior pastor, said. “It is very,
very unsettling.”
About 50 people came to the St. Mark’s vigil to pray, sing and light
candles. It was simply “a time to be together,” Ragland said. She said
several church families have children who attend the same school as the
youngest victim, 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green, and she is helping
them to cope with the situation.
Still, she added, “we’re celebrating the courage of many people in the midst of tragedy.”
An opportunity ‘to pray and connect with others’
The Rev. Dan Hurlbert, senior pastor at Desert Skies, said members
felt it was important to open their doors to the community. “We are in
Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, which means Gabrielle Giffords is
our representative in Congress.” Of the 100 people who attended the
vigil, about half were not members of the congregation. Among them were
local politicians and members of the state legislature.
“Our pastors offered counsel for some time after the service to those
who were particularly hurting,” Hurlbert said. “Most of the people …
simply wanted a quiet place to pray and connect with others.”
Sanctuary United Methodist Church, Tucson, Ariz., posted this message of
comfort on its webpage. A UMNS photo courtesy of Sanctuary United
Methodist Church.
At the vigil, prayers were offered for the victims, the responders,
those traumatized because they were in the area, and those whose friends
and family members were injured or killed.
“We also prayed for the shooter,” Hurlbert said. “We prayed that our
elected leaders and media outlets might bring light … to an already
contentious political climate.
“We have members who worked for Congresswoman Giffords as volunteers
in her recent and previous campaigns. While not everyone in Tucson is
close to someone who was shot, I have yet to meet anyone who has not
been affected by this terrible event.”
Pam Simon, an active member of St. Francis in the Foothills United
Methodist Church in Tucson, was shot twice. She is no longer in critical
condition but is still in the hospital. She serves as a part-time
outreach coordinator for Giffords.
“She is doing very well,” said the Rev. P. David Wilkinson, pastor at
St. Francis of the Foothills. “She is quite alert and happy to be
alive.”
Wilkinson described Simon as “our social justice spearhead” and “an incredible lady.”
Another member of the congregation, Alex Villec, 19, is an intern for Giffords. He witnessed the shootings but was not injured.
Wilkinson noted that post-traumatic stress disorder is a concern, for both those who were shot and those who were not.
United Methodist Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño,
who leads the Desert Southwest Annual (regional) Conference, called for
prayers of healing and expressed concern about whether the shooting was
an expression of “growing intolerance.”
‘This is a time to heal’
The Arizona Ecumenical Council, a collaborative organization of
Christian churches, has scheduled several “Interfaith Services of
Mourning, Healing and Hope” to occur simultaneously at 5:30 p.m. (MT)
Jan. 11 throughout the state.
Carcaño will be involved, along with Rabbi John Linder of Temple
Solel; Jan Flaaten, executive director of the Arizona Ecumenical
Council; and Joe Rubio of the Valley Interfaith Project. Catalina United
Methodist Church in Tucson will host one of the services. Participating
congregations also include Griffith United Methodist Church in Las
Vegas and First United Methodist Church in Yuma, Ariz.
On Jan. 12, President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will
participate in a memorial service at the McKale Center on the University
of Arizona campus. The president will speak at a 6 p.m. event, titled
“Together We Thrive: Tucson and America.”
President Obama, in a televised address, said, “What Americans do at
times of tragedy is to come together and support each other. So at this
time I ask all Americans to join me and Michelle in keeping all the
victims and their families … in our thoughts and prayers.”
And at Sanctuary United Methodist Church, Maddox reminded the
congregation, “This isn’t the time to blame others or to blame God. This
is a time to heal.”
He reflected on Jesus’ words in the New Testament. “My peace I leave
you, my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled. And do
not be afraid. For, I am with you always — even until the end of time.”
*Dunlap-Berg is internal content editor for United Methodist
Communications. Joanie Faust, writer/editor, Communications Department,
Desert Southwest Annual Conference, also contributed to this story.
News media contact: Barbara Dunlap-Berg, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5489 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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