September 17, 2024
WINDER, Ga. — As the residents of Barrow County, and especially the students at Apalachee High School, deal with the aftermath of last week’s school shooting, Georgia Baptist churches are working together to provide support.
Mark Marshall, senior lead strategist of Church Strengthening for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, told a meeting of the state executive committee in Warner Robins on Tuesday that Georgia Baptists “were on the front lines” of the response effort.
From making counselors available to returning students, having chaplains present to pray and offer support to grieving residents, or simply providing labor to set up new facilities, Georgia Baptist churches and volunteers are working to meet the needs of Barrow County.
When students in other Barrow County schools returned to class on Tuesday morning, they were greeted by youth and student pastors from across the state. Stephen Crane, Next Gen pastor at River Hills Church in Winder, helped coordinate counselors for returning students. Crane says the church’s Scott Dakin was “uniquely placed as a former Fire Captain and Director of the Ministry Village, a counseling ministry in Winder, to be the one coordinating counseling for our community.” Crane and Dakin agreed that ministers would be need on site, as well as trained counselors when students went back to school.
Crane collaborated with Chris Trent, GBMB’s NextGen catalyst, to provide two to three ministers at each school. “The school system graciously allowed us to be there,” Crane said. In addition to pastors from local churches such as River Hills, Bethlehem Church, Winder First Baptist Church and others, close to 40 people from churches as far as 4 hours away came to help. “We put out the ‘all call,’” Trent said, “and the response was awesome.”
Crane added that their church family was impacted directly by the shooting, as they have some 10 students that attend Apalachee High School and dealt with the incident, from being locked down in the school to making it safely outside. Additionally, a number of first responders and teachers that work in the school system are attenders at River Hills.
“Our community has really gathered around each other and had some huge God moments to celebrate,” Crane said. “Between first responders, the school system, local churches, and businesses there has been such an outpouring of love.” He added that counseling costs for people directly affected by this tragedy are significant, and asked that people consider donating to the crisis fund through the Ministry Village webpage.
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency has set up a Community Recovery Center in Winder to give residents a place to find support in the wake of the tragedy. Ricky Thrasher, chaplaincy ministry coordinator for Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief, said the organization will have two chaplains available each day at the center “to help with any traumatic experiences that people are having, especially grief.” The goal, Thrasher said, is to “bring the hope and love of Jesus to those that are hurting.” GBDR Director Dwain Carter said chaplains on Tuesday shared the gospel with a young lady who responded with a profession of faith in Christ.
In addition, Carter said close to 60 volunteers will work in Winder on Wednesday, moving desks and supplies as requested by the school to prepare new classrooms for returning Apalachee High School students. “As always,” Carter said, “GBDR volunteers fill in wherever and however needed. We train and respond with a ‘whatever it takes’ mindset. These volunteers are coming in from all around the state of Georgia in order to be but a small piece of the solution.”
Also on Wednesday, the GBMB’s next gen ministry will facilitate a Zoom call with pastors, youth pastors, and other church staff affected by the recent tragedy and Jay Fannin on guiding the community through a tragedy. Fannin, currently pastor of Shady Oaks Baptist Church in Hurst, Texas, has a profound and personal perspective on navigating tragedy. As the former youth pastor of Wedgwood Baptist Church, Fannin witnessed firsthand the shooting that took place on Sept.15, 1999, during a youth rally in Fort Worth, Texas. The tragic event claimed the lives of seven individuals—most of them teenagers—and left seven others wounded.
On the call, Fannin will share his experiences in the aftermath of the shooting, offering lessons on how a church can minister to its congregation and the wider community during times of grief. He will talk through the immediate responses that helped support those affected and discuss how the long-term effects of tragedy can impact a community for years to come.
