Twenty-six people were killed during the shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas on Sunday November 5, 2017. The killing was the result of 1 lone shooter who is also deceased. The evening of the shooting people in the community still had more questions than they had answers.
The people did the best thing they could do, they gathered together to support each other. They lit candles as a sign of faith to remember those who were injured or killed, and they prayed. Some will say that prayer is not enough given the frequency of shootings in various public venues. I would agree more needs to be done. In the moments immediately following these crisis situations, prayer gives comfort and is appropriate.
On November 5th the site of the shooting was in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Any Sunday an event like this could happen anywhere. Should we stop attending church to stop church shootings? NO!! Those who want to kill people would simply find a different venue. Churches will have to examine their location and resources to decide what steps they can take in enhance safety. It appears to me that having an outside sentry to look for early signs of trouble and summon law enforcement might be a reasonable first step.