HOUSTON’S FAITH LEADERS
to discuss mass shooting with their flocks
THEIR MESSAGES WILL URGE CONGREGANTS TO STAY STRONG AND LEAN ON GOD IN TIMES OF DARKNESS
FLIPPING on the television, Pastor Mack A. Paul learned of the horror that followed Devin Patrick Kelley after he marched into the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs with an assault rifle on Sunday and opened fire.
Paul’s first reaction was to pray for everyone involved.
Then his thoughts turned to his own parishioners. Even though his Greater Galilee Missionary Baptist Church is 200 miles away from Sutherland Springs, Paul recognized the news would strike a blow — and hit all of the faith community in Houston.
He said his job is rise to the challenge — and tend to his flock.
“You intensify what you do on a weekly basis, which is to bring comfort, assurance and hope,” he said. “You’re talking about the process of time. Scars heal with time. But you have to keep pouring on the medicine, which in this case, is the message of Jesus. We don’t change what we’ve been doing. We heighten the effort.”
As an entire nation reels from another mass shooting, religious leaders will try to help their followers keep the faith, to spiritually stay strong after such a tragic violation of a most sacred place: a church. On this Sunday, millions of Americans will gather in the pews, with many likely feeling A couple pay their respects near crosses honoring the victims of a mass shooting in the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs. unease and sadness, yearning for some meaning and hope.
Paul, senior pastor at Greater Galilee in north Houston, will discuss the shooting in his sermon Sunday. He said his message will be simple: “We have to persevere.”
Pastor Bill White of Village Heights Church on West 18th Street said his goal is to keep his congregation from feeling scared.
“There’s a lot of fear and anger swirling around,” he said. “Fear can be debilitating.”
And even though the crime happened in another town, White said church members could become afraid of gathering to worship.
“It’s not something you can ignore,” he said. “You can’t make it seem like this can’t happen to us because it was in a different time and place. It’s not clear what his intentions were. But regardless of that, Christians will be affected. Still, that doesn’t mean we should be scared.”
White said congregants can find strength in religion. “The church has faced unsur-
passed persecution, but has outlasted, because we don’t focus on loss,” he said. “We focus on the gain in eternity. The church and the gospel have overcome many obstacles.”
Imam Rizwan Khan will share similar sentiments at Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Greater Houston.
“We’re not going to let terror and fear dictate our daily lives,” he said. “Of course we are sad and shocked. But we can’t allow that person to have power over us. As a community, we can come together and move forward.”
Khan said that appealing to a higher power is essential to surviving this type of storm — even if individuals feel more like turning away.
“The real measure of faith is how they react when they face trials,” he said. “This is exactly what the purpose of religion is — to help man deal with mortality. When there are hardships, that is when we must come together.”
Khan said churches, like mosques, come with an expectation. “We expect it to be safe,” he said. “It does violate the sanctity — not just of the religious space but also socially, for what is seen as a gathering place.”
This shooting serves as a reminder, Khan explained. “The life we live, the house we have, the routine, the job — a crazy person can come and turn it all upside down,” he said.
The one thing that can’t be taken away is faith in God, Khan added. And he recommends cultivating that relationship. “It gives a person peace,” he said.
As an imam, considering the safety of his own congregants has become paramount to Khan. “This is unfortunately something we have to ask: Are we prepared for something like this to happen? Are we looking after our own children? I think every spiritual leader asks, what can we do to protect people in this congregation?”
The Rev. Greg Han, director of Interfaith Relations with Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston, believes faith leaders across Houston are asking the same questions — whether in a mosque, synagogue or church.
As someone who stood on the pulpit for eight years before assuming his current post, he has a recommendation. “First and foremost, have a plan,” he said. “Have an emergency plan in place. There are resources out there. Not having a plan is not an option.”
He said an emergency plan will prepare for natural disasters, as well as active shooters.
“There is a strength and a hope endemic to faith communities,” Han said. “We will not let tragedy or fear get in the way or prevent us from gathering. We are going to continue to do what we do — to gather and pray. It’s a sign of hope and also resistance and resilience.”
He hopes Houstonians will realize the power of faith to both “comfort and also embolden us.”
“It helps us grieve and mourn, but (faith) also helps move us forward,” Han said. “The faith we have in God makes room for mourning and sadness. We are also able to rise back up and be people in the world seeking a more just and peaceful community.”
The Rev. Laura Mayo, senior minister of Covenant Church in the Museum District, said seeking change is a duty.
“We’ve got to keep militarytype weapons away from civilians,” she said. “This cannot keep happening. And it will keep happening unless we do something about it.”
Her thoughts went to a verse in Matthew, to a story about Bethlehem and Herod ordering that boys 2 years old and younger be killed.
“Jesus was born into a world in which children were being killed,” she said. “He had to decide how he felt about that. And we have to decide if that’s OK with us. It’s not OK with me — and I don’t think it was OK with Jesus.”
Jesus worked for peace, Mayo said.
She quoted the verse in the Bible where he wept over Jerusalem, saying, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace ... ”
She believes the nation should search for the means for peace.
“Can we recognize the things we need for peace — background checks, sensible gun regulations?” she asked. “We pray with our actions, we pray with our votes, we pray with our feet. We are the body Christ has on this earth right now. We can’t continue to sit around and do nothing.”
Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss with Congregation Shma Koleinu said in addition to stopping gun violence, addressing spiritual pain is critical.
“We are never going to solve this issue unless we, as a society, take a two-pronged approach — addressing access to assault rifles and mental health,” he said. “People who cause pain are in pain.”
He believes that as a rabbi, he can help people deal with existential pain and use prayer to heal.
“There is power in prayer,” he said. “Prayer is one of those things you can do especially when you feel there is nothing you can do.”
He planned to host a special healing service for his congregation on Friday. He will record the service — and send it to the minister in Sutherland Springs.
“The service I’m doing on Friday night is a small thing,” he said. “It’s not going to solve anything. But this is us literally sending our prayers. This is us truly holding you in our hearts. You are not alone.”
“We’re not going to let terror and fear dictate our daily lives ...” Imam Rizwan Khan