Pastor’s Letter to Central Christian Church, Lexington, Kentucky

Dear friends,

What one person can do.

Monday was another sad, sad day. One person ended the lives of thirty-two others on the campus of Virginia Tech, and the whole country found itself wrestling with questions that defy easy answers.

Almost immediately, some were wondering about security procedures on the campus, whether students were warned in a timely manner, whether the campus should have been “locked down” after the first shooting in the dormitory.

As more became known about the young man who went on this rampage, questions were raised about whether his intention to do violence should have been identified and dealt with in a more aggressive manner.

Beneath the questions is our common struggle to believe that we can have some measure of control over our world, that we can contain or prevent random acts of violence and that we can make sense of our own behavior and the behavior of others. None of us wants to come face to face with our vulnerability or the vulnerability of those we love.

This act of violence strikes close to home. Our own Katherine Meng is a student at Virginia Tech. We have sent our love and concern to Katherine through members of her family. And my brother serves a congregation in Lynchburg, Virginia, just up the road from Blacksburg and Virginia Tech. His church held a prayer service on Tuesday night.

I have listened with interest to the different ways that this horrific act has been described. Almost immediately, it was called an act of madness. As the profile of the killer has emerged, we have glimpsed a troubled, disturbed young man who had few friends and wrote dark, violent poetry and plays. I understand the language of insanity. I have also heard some commentators describe this violent rampage as an act of undisguised evil. And evil it was. Insanity or evil? The fact is, sometimes I have a hard time telling the difference.

What are we to do? It seems to me that there is an ever fragile balance between sanity and madness, goodness and evil. In the midst of the violent rampage on the Virginia Tech campus, some reacted with incredible acts of selflessness and bravery. One student blocked the door of his classroom with a table just before the gunman arrived. That student, and everyone in that classroom, survived. A professor, a survivor of the Holocaust, blocked a door with his body while students escaped out of a window. The professor died.

Jesus asked those who followed him to tip the balance. Kindness, compassion, friendship, forgiveness, doing justice, welcoming the stranger, protecting the vulnerable, making peace. What can one person do? Do not ever discount any act, however small, that makes the world a safer, saner, more livable place for someone else. When we do goodness, love kindness, and walk humbly in the midst of our human family, we participate in God’s ongoing work of transforming the world into what we call the kingdom of God, a time and place in which all of God’s children can live free of fear.

We try to show the world what that would look like when we come together around a table, break bread and share a cup, and remember the One who shows us the Way.

Michael Mooty
Central Christian Church
Lexington, KY

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Letter from Sharon Watkins, General Minister and President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

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Letter from Geunhee Yu, Executive Pastor of the North American Pacific/Asian Disciples

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Dear Friend:

The tragic killings that ravaged the Virginia Tech community in Blacksburg, Virginia, this past Monday morning, April 16, have broken all our hearts. A crazed gunman randomly slew students and teachers in a bizarre paroxysm of hate, confusion, and shadowy impulses. By Monday evening the calamity that had unfolded shocked our nation’s psyche and bruised our collective soul.

That we live in perilous times nearly goes without saying. But the shock we’re feeling now and our sense of brokenness still cause excruciating pain. In this incident of school-related gun violence, there is the terrible sense of a tragic return, as we recall previous tragedies: Austin, Texas; Pearl, Mississippi; West Paducah, Kentucky; Springfield, Oregon; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Littleton, Colorado.

Now, in response to the sorrow, we seek to find our way forward. As we proceed beyond the sadness of this week, I offer the following guiding suggestions:

(1) Pray. Pray for the families of the victims, that they will receive comfort, care, and the solace of treasured memories and cherished relationships. Pray for the entire collegial community at Virginia Tech, that they will eventually move through this valley of the shadow of death with purpose and new insights about life’s meaning and its precious nature. Pray for the citizens in the town of Blacksburg, that they will feel the support of those outside their city limits who care deeply. Pray for the mercy-providing care-givers in congregations throughout the Blacksburg area, that they themselves will somehow know God’s mercy in the midst of their endeavors.

(2) Grieve. Many tears have been shed since the news of the tragedy broke. And on this national day of mourning yet more tears will be cried by countless mourners. Mourning actions are always more than ritualistic enactments. Our tears are sure signs of our humanity. And like God, in whose image we have been created, our tears signal the sacred compassion that potentially lies at the foundation of every personality. So weep, cry, grieve. Don’t be surprised if your need for help in the grieving process happens some time after this week. Each of us processes grief at a different pace and according to different rhythms.

(3) Share Fellowship with Others. Nearly every tragedy of conscious premeditation is born out of desperate isolation. In response to the killings at Virginia Tech, it has been heartening to witness the annealing sense of togetherness and mutual concern being shared by a community intent on not letting violence have the last word. Alongside the inspiring "Hokies" at Virginia Tech, and with the people of Blacksburg, indeed all of Virginia, we are in this together. We struggle with this current strife not as those who have no hope. And our hopefulness is found in the midst of a fellowship shared in communities of care.

(4) Revulsion and Anger are Natural. Inevitably and naturally, revulsion at the events of this past Monday and expressions anger at the perpetrator have occurred and will occur. We need not fear these emotions. Anger is a natural and healthy emotional response to a violated value. But staying stuck in a morass of anger is not healthy. So be angry, yes, but begin to transform your anger, through reflection and resolve, into a commitment to show compassion to victims, to change the world where you are, and to join with others in new actions. The tears wrought from anger and revulsion can be transformative forces in maximizing the possibilities of preventing similar such tragedies in the future.

(5) Make a New Friend in the Congregation. The ultimate blossoms of a community are found in the friendships that develop there. So, let us cultivate communities where friendships flourish. Religious communities can be the sites of some of your most beautiful and caring friendships. Some of the deepest and most abiding relationships that you can experience happen in congregations. It is in a congregation where differences can be respected and honored. It is in congregations where individual talents can be appreciated and celebrated. Cliques never fare very well in congregations. Because we are an Easter people, there is the possibility of connections, community, and friendships for each one of us, no matter our status or condition in life. So, I invite you to grow a new friend, and see how your life will flourish.

Bob Hill, Pastor
Community Christian Church
Kansas City, MO

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Psalm: Virginia Lament

I weep, oh God.
I wonder, "Where the hell are you?"

Alan stops me in the faculty lounge,
"Disastrous news from Virginia.
A gunman. Thirty-three dead.

Virginia – my heart drops,
for she is the land of my infancy,
my childhood
my adolescence.

I think of Kevin and Mike
still living there.
Are their children students at VPI?
Have they been injured, or worse killed?

And You, oh God, what are you doing about it?
This land that prides itself as a "Christian Country"
How long will you let this go on?

O God, O God
I know that you do not forsake us.
As one is wounded, so you are wounded.
As my heart bleeds and I weep,
so your heart bleeds and You weep.

Comfort your children’s sorrow, lamenting mothers, bitter fathers,
A nation wounded.
Lead us to love and life in You
where our guns are beaten into plough shares.

Psalm by Tod Gobledale
Serving Global Ministries as Chaplain at Churches of Christ Theological College in Mulgrave, Australia

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As we think about the events of this past week and see the images of death and terror from the Virginia Tech campus, I pray that we thoughtfully reflect upon the circumstances surrounding this tragedy. We have heard that the gunman had received some treatment for issues surrounding depression, so this is an opportunity to address this important, relevant, and timely topic in our own congregations.

During an extended discussion with ‘fellow’ students at Christian Theological Seminary, here in Indianapolis, we found one of our members willing to discuss her own difficulties in dealing with clinical depression. While this was unrelated to the actual incidents at Virginia Tech, it did help bring to light the attitudes which still surround ‘mental illness’ which are so pervasive in our society. Despite our professions of Christian compassion, we found expressions within the Christian community itself which were far from compassionate.

We certainly wish to walk in the ways of Christ and lift up our neighbors, both near to us and far away, rather than tear them down and destroy their spirits. If we let the Spirit which is within each of us, guide our thoughts, words and actions, we can utilize this opportunity to build up the community of Christ. Many of our communities have seen mental health facilities and insurance coverage for treatment, each shrink or even disappear. What we have recently experienced in Virginia dramatically demonstrates the possible serious repercussions of cut-backs like these.

While we can see evil in the terrible actions such as we have seen in the past week, we need to be cautious to not alienate those around us who so desperately need our compassion, love, support and often medical treatment. Stigmas which surround mental illness already dissuade many people from seeking treatment or even voicing their concerns, for fear of the reactions from people around them. We need to carefully examine our comments and our reactions so we do not inadvertently end up labeling good people who suffer from various mental illnesses as ‘evil.’

Again, this is an opportunity to listen to the leading of the Spirit and use this horrendous attack as a cautionary tale which can alert everyone to the dangers of ignoring depression, suicidal thoughts, and other ‘early warning’ signals of potential mental illness. We need to remind our fellow Children of God that this is just another physical affliction which can hopefully be controlled with proper treatments and continuing diligence. Like high blood pressure or poor eyesight, we need to approach mental illness with the same connotation-free attitudes and acceptance. None of these will ‘go away’ by itself, yet each can respond to proper treatment. Once we adjust our attitudes, many of the needy in our own communities (possibly one in five) will be encouraged to seek proper treatment for the mental illnesses under which they struggle to survive, and possibly they will eventually be able to thrive and grow.

I encourage your continued prayers for victims of this tragedy, and caution each of us to not ignore the 33rd victim or his family. The family and friends of the ‘shooter’ in this incident are also victims. They not only need to contend with anger, anguish and questions, they have the potential added element of guilt. Pray that this family is also lifted up, comforted, consoled and feel God’s love and forgiveness. Even we who live next to a loved one with mental illness will not always recognize the signs and signals, and we, too, could someday be in a similar situation if we fail to act in timely, appropriate, and loving, Christian ways. We each need God’s love, forgiveness, and grace in our daily lives.

May each of you be blessed as you are a blessing to those around you…

Paul Hartig
Christian Theological Seminary M.Div. student and
Pastor for St. Paul Christian Church, St. Paul, Indiana