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FBC Maryville One Week After Pastor’s Shooting

Orginally published on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 at 6:45 AM
by Todd Rhoades

From the Chicago Tribune: "Almost to the minute that Fred Winters' life ended March 8 with a bullet through his heart inside First Baptist Church -- his assailant's motives still unclear -- the Rev. Al Meredith told the roughly 200 people who turned out for the early service that "I've come here to be with you to let you know there is hope."

"I'm so sorry I'm not Pastor Fred," Meredith, of Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, said in opening his sermon, his voice halting as he choked back tears. "I'm so sorry it's just me. I am so sorry this happened to you. We're praying for you."

You may remember Wedgwood Baptist Church: While Wedgwood hosted a community youth rally Sept. 15, 1999, a man walked in with two guns, 200 rounds of ammunition and a pipe bomb in his pockets. He seemed angry, witnesses said, and asked about the service before he opened fire at a group sitting in the lobby...

More from the Tribune article:

As a five-year member of First Baptist, Rosanna Kosek, 60, wasn’t at the service in which Winters was killed. But she was at the early service Sunday and afterward, often through tears, said Meredith’s words of comfort resonated.

“It reaffirmed my thoughts that I’m on the right track,” she said. “I wanted to come to the early one because I wanted to say I am not afraid. Evil is not going to keep me away from church.”

Echoing Meredith’s preachings that grief over Winters’ death should be channeled into spiritual outreach, Kosek figures “it’s an opportunity that we have to share, and if we can share our faith and bring people to Jesus that’s what Pastor Fred would want.”

You can read more here...

Or check out FBC’s website here...

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Hi... I'm Todd Rhoades. I'm a Christ-follower, husband, father and I love to connect leaders with other leaders. Hopefully you'll find something here at MMI you like and will return often. If you want, you can find out more about me or follow my every step on Twitter.