WEDGEWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH SHOOTING
From a member of the WEDGEWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH demonstrating that God can redeem any tragedy and turn it to good.
"By now almost everyone has heard of the tragedy when a gunman entered Wedgwood Baptist Church and killed 7 people and injured 7 others before taking his own life.
That morning had been the day of "See You at the Pole," when students gather around their flagpole in the morning to pray for their school and nation.
What the media hasn't reported, however, is how God has been so evident, both during and after the shooting. He has done amazing works!

BEFORE THE SHOOTING:
Our pastor had prayed that God would do whatever it took to expand the ministry of Wedgwood Baptist Church. Our church is one that is used as a model of how NOT to pick a location, because no one in the world can find it. Now almost everyone in the world knows exactly where it is.

EVIDENCE OF GOD'S CONTROL DURING THE SHOOTING:
To enter the church, the gunman walked past our children's playground, which should have been full of kids, but for some reason every single children's class was running late. No one had made it to the playground yet.
He fired over 100 bullets into a crowd of over 400, but only 14 people were hit.
He did not shoot over 60 bullets he still had with him.
The bottom fell off the pipe bomb he threw, and the bomb landed without ever exploding.
The first 911 call came in on a police radio, so emergency vehicles were dispatched without spending precious time verifying that the call was real.
There was a paramedic in the church at the time, and he was able to stop a lot of bleeding and stabilize injured people before the emergency crews arrived.
All 7 victims were not just Christians, but bold Christians who were passionate about their faith.

WHAT GOD HAS DONE SINCE THE SHOOTING:
Many denominations have pulled together to offer help and support. One example is the United Methodist Church who sent 15 people the following Sunday to cover our childcare. They didn't want any church members to have to miss the service because they were taking care of the children.
A church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, drove over 5 hours just so they could march around our church and pray during our Sunday morning services. The Fort Worth Police Dept. planted flowers in the flower beds before we re-entered the sanctuary to worship.

We have received over 10,000 emails, 5000 cards, and $60,000 from all over the world Al Meredith, our pastor has had the microphone in his face continually and has always given an outstanding answer to the reason for our hope. He presented the gospel beautifully on Larry King Live when prompted by a question asked by Vice President Al Gore.

Because of the live news coverage and interviews, over 200 million people have heard the gospel because of this tragedy.
Fifteen thousand turned out for a community wide memorial service. Brother Al gave a very serious challenging message calling for a day of fasting and heart searching for America. CNN broadcast the memorial service live.

Amazingly, because one of the victim's families lives and works in Saudi Arabia, that country allowed the service to be broadcast there as well. In Saudi Arabia it is illegal to say the name of Jesus on the street. Because of that same CNN broadcast, 35 people in Japan gave their lives to Christ.
When President Clinton finally got through to him, Brother Al ended their conversation by praying, after gaining permission, for the Clinton family.
At several schools, students met around their flagpoles the next day. At one school 25 students accepted Christ, and 110 at another. A teacher led 22 students to Christ in her classroom. On the east-coast, where "See You at the Pole" was delayed because of the hurricane, record numbers of kids showed up to pray.

Governor Bush has visited with our pastor several times, and Brother Al has had an impact on him. Just think of the influence our pastor could have if Governor Bush is the next president!
We have had over 70,000 hits on our web page which displays the plan of salvation in multiple languages.

These are just a few of the miracles that are happening. God's grace is almost overwhelming. Every time the gunman fired a bullet, he intended to take a life. Yet God turned that around and saved several lives for each bullet fired. The faith of those who died has been multiplied many times over."