She and her husband, David Griffin, returned to the sanctuary where their daughter was one of seven people killed when a gunman opened fire on Fort Worth's Wedgwood Baptist Church 20 years ago. Then he began shooting, using first one of his two handguns, then the other. "Sometimes it seems like yesterday," said Jeff Laster, who as a church custodian in 1999 was the first person to encounter the shooter that day and spent around a month in the hospital recovering from the two gunshot wounds he received. It was the kind of tragedy that could have destroyed a church. There were filth and signs of deranged outbursts, including family photos ripped up, holes punched in the walls, and cement in the toilet. Wedgwood Baptist Church This is more fully covered in the Sheepdog Church Security training course "Active Shooter Response v4." By signing up you agree to ourTerms of ServiceandPrivacy Policy. Wedgwood Baptist Church That makes it so that tragedy doesnt control you, you can control it, he said. ", "We want people to be able to leave with that sense of hope, that sense of healing and the sense that bad things are going to happen, there is evil in the world, bad things are going to happen that we have no control over but Gods grace and love get you through that," said Laster. 20 years after church massacre, Fort Worth Wedgwood Baptist Church Laster still works at Wedgwood, acting now as the Associate Pastor of Administration. Search for other General Baptist Churches on The Real Yellow Pages. From Fort Worth, he also focused on politics and criminal justice stories. Contact Wedgwood Events Guest Feedback. The shooter was 47-year-old Larry Gene Ashbrook (July 10, 1952[5] September 15, 1999). Gillette said hes long made peace with his memories of the shooting. WebI have enjoyed working as a WBC library volunteer for the last several years.After all, whats not to love about being surrounded by books? WebThere are two easy options to watch the Sunday morning Worship Service. Worship at Wedgwood is usually described as modern and contemporary, energetic, and a congregation that sings. But her husband, David Griffin, told congregants that after the shooting he turned angry and bitter and planned to fade away from the church. And after three days, its old news. Texas law at that time did not allow security teams in churches, let alone armed ones, but there are ways to respond to an armed attack when unarmed. Have enough Safety Team members on duty to have one patrolling the premises. The blood-soaked carpet was ripped out. Ashbrook interrupted a teen prayer rally in the Wedgwood Baptist Church, slamming his hand on a door to make his presence known. God put me on this earth for a reason. Seven people were killed, four of whom were teenagers (a 14-year-old boy, two 14-year-old girls and a 17-year-old boy). There were both short-term and long-term responses. WebOur Mission is to Glorify Christ by Making Disciples Who Worship, Serve, Grow in Missional Communities, and Multiply Disciples. Were hardly get shocked anymore, Meredith says. General The membership of Wedgwood Baptist Church reserves the exclusive right to determine who shall be members of this church and the conditions of such membership. Wedgwood Baptist Church 1. His angry look should have aroused concern, at least Level Orange (possible threat detected). Get the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond. Students from churches around Fort Worth had taken part in "See You at the Pole" events earlier that day, an annual event where Christian students nationwide circle around their schools flagpole to pray. Contact, Announcements (Lifeline/Student Ministry), Teachings from Dr. Al Meredith, Pastor Emeritus. Home; About Us. I know where everybody's bodies [were], I know where they were laying, he said. Wedgwood Church WebChurch Finder Profile - Wedgwood Baptist Church is a Baptist church in Fort Worth Texas. Since 1907, more than 30 pastors and interim pastors have shepherded our congregation, and in December of 2016, theReverend Sean Brown was installed as our newest spiritual leader. But those are just window dressings, Pastor Dale Braswell said during Sundays sermon. After all the evidence had been collected and the scene released, church members and other volunteers worked at cleaning and repairing the facility. News. From the time he entered the building, the gunman fired over 100 rounds from two different handguns, and exploded a homemade pipe bomb in the Worship Center where the youth activity was being held. Ashbrook replied, "Fuck off" and "I can't believe you believe in this junk. Wedgwood Baptist Church Wedgwood Baptist Church According to people who knew the killer when he grew up, he resented being made to attend church three times a week. They perform small sketches in the services to full-length dramas. Hey!! In the case of Wedgwood Baptist Church, the assailant was off the radar. He said, "That sucks," and that it was "a stupid religion." This is my church, Gillette said. WebWhen an unexpected tragedy happens, such as Wedgwood Baptist Church in 1999, we can learn from it and prepare for future threats to keep them from becoming tragedies. What is known today as Wedgwood Community Church started back in 1907 as Green Lake Baptist Church. The shooting hear my heart on this, OK? Braswell said. .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct,.mw-parser-output .geo-inline-hidden{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}323951N 972304W / 32.6643N 97.3845W / 32.6643; -97.3845. There's no way we'll ever really know. According to the Dallas Observer, "He had been discharged from the Navy in 1983 for marijuana use." I worship at this church every Sunday.. WebCheck out what's happening this week at Wedgwood. One little girl, he says, refused to go back to the church until she was given permission to wear her tennis shoes, in case she had to run away. It was the kind of tragedy that could have destroyed a church. KERA News Weekday Update Newsletter Signup, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price Joins Bipartisan Mayors Group Calling For Universal Background Checks, Fort Worth Pastor's Advice To El Paso: Listen, Let People Be Angry Even At God. He had been prescribed Prozac at one time, but no drugs showed in his autopsy. The important goal is saving lives. Watchfulness also includes threat assessment. Apparently his resentment grew over the years since his youth. We do not know when he started using drugs, just that their use led to his discharge from the Navy. Contact Wedgwood Events Guest Feedback. .mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#3a3;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}Meredith, Al (2019). Wedgwood Baptist Church He made his way into the sanctuary firing into the crowd of singing students and setting off a pipe bomb. Our morning worship times are led by our Pastor of Worship, a Praise Team, a Full Choir, and a Six Piece Band. Terror In The Sanctuary - TIME Missional Communities are our small groups (a.k.a. When the gunman entered the church, they were watching a Christian rock band perform. The lead of Wedgwood Baptist Church was followed by other churches. Wedgwood Baptist Church Fort Worth Texas Sept. 15, 1999, was a Wednesday night. His father (who died a few months before the church attack) had been supporting him, so that had ended. Cassiehad drawn a line under without and a box around the word fear. It was a sacred moment forher fatherwhen he understood that the verse didnt mean believers would live without harm, but without fear of it, Griffin said at the service. WebI have enjoyed working as a WBC library volunteer for the last several years.After all, whats not to love about being surrounded by books? After a month in the hospital, he quickly returned to the church to understand howthe carnage had unfolded. When you talk about it, when you talk through it, when you cry about it, when you hold onto each other and all you can do is cry, thats healing. Baptist Church Laster, now the associate pastor of administration, said the church hasnt wasted the experience the shooting put congregants through. If a weapon is detected or suspected, the team is alerted. WebGet reviews, hours, directions, coupons and more for Wedgwood Baptist Church. Find us on Facebook. The intruder's demeanor gets the attention of a greeter or a Safety Team member and he is watched. His next target area was the sanctuary. He was unable to hold a job and complained that co-workers were oppressing him. This page is not available in other languages. News. That's a version being offered by someone who was there, but it's unconfirmed. Wedgwood Church Don't limit watchfulness to the foyer and the sanctuary. FORT WORTH Sniffling and dabbing at her eyes, Tralissa Griffin stood before hundreds of people Sunday and recounted the details of the night that made her church look more like a war zone.. It is described as a fun, sometimes even crazy team. Watch on the Wedgwood YouTube Channel.The live feed will appear at the top of the page. Our church library is certainly one of the best and offers so much to our patrons books (fiction and nonfiction) for all Meredith says they didnt want to give an inch to the darkness.. At Ashbrook's home, police found a pipe, end caps to enclose the pipe, gunpowder and a fuse. Wedgwood Baptist Church saw the need for an immediate response to protect people in the church during an attack. Find us on Facebook. Churchgoers packed the sanctuary for a memorial service that lasted more than two hours at the church in southwest Fort Worth. WebCheck out what's happening this week at Wedgwood. WebOn May 8, 1960, the Wedgwood Mission was constituted as Wedgwood Baptist Church with 220 members, and 333 enrolled in Sunday School. Wedgwood Baptist Church When Al Meredith, then the churchs lead pastor, got the church, he says it was a beehive of activity. Baptist Church [Neitz replied] "No sir, it doesn't suck. In 1907, a small group of believers in northeast Seattle desired to covenant together and establish a church of its own. In September 1960, the church began an $115,000 bond drive to raise funds to build new education space and pay off the land purchase. All I can say is that I'm impressed by what he did that evening. In his sermon that Sunday, Meredith told a jam-packed church that, this tragedy that the devil wanted to use to stop the people of God has ended up strengthening us, our church has never been more united., And he preached forgiveness, calling the shooter Larry Gene Ashbrook a poor man who was in the power of the prince of darkness.. Wedgwood Baptist Church WebOn September 15, 1999, a mass shooting occurred at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. And all our thoughts and prayers, thats about all we can conjure up for the victims. Library The Light Shines On: An Update of "Night of Tragedy Dawning of Light: The Wedgwood Baptist Shootings". Our awareness is 360 horizontally and 180 vertically (360 if we are on an upper level). And then I realized [after] someone said Call 911 that this was real.. On Thursday night at 6 p.m. the Wedgwood Baptist community will host a private prayer service which will only be open for church members. As music and singing drifted out into the foyer, the shooter barged into the sanctuary and banged on the door to get attention. Wedgwood Baptist Church Fannin says he never lost his faith, and points to several pieces of evidence that prove to him that God was present that night: A bullet that whizzed across a room full of kids but didnt hit anybody; a pipe bomb exploded but didnt injure anyone; that the survivors recall the room being well-lit even though the lights were off. Tralissa Griffins daughter, Cassandra Cassie Griffin, had arrived at church with friends that Wednesday for a rally and concert and scrambled up to the second row, she said. WebOn May 8, 1960, the Wedgwood Mission was constituted as Wedgwood Baptist Church with 220 members, and 333 enrolled in Sunday School. 1999 Wedgwood Baptist Church Shooting Wedgwood Baptist Church Fort Worth Texas In the course of its more than one hundred years of existence, our congregation has built and worshiped in three different buildings in three different locations under four different names. Part of the way I grieve, I wanted to walk through and get the details and see it., During Sundays service, Al Meredith, who was the churchs pastor at the time of the shooting, delivered a message in which he repeated the phrase: God wastes nothing.. WebChurch Bylaws. Christopher Connelly is a reporter covering issues related to financial instability and poverty for KERAs One Crisis Away series. Missional Communities are our small groups (a.k.a. MEMBERSHIP Section A. He moved from body to body, checking pulses, looking for injured survivors. Neighbors of the church called 911 when they realized the noise was gunfire, and police came. Watchfulness works best as part of situational awareness. Please contact Phil at, Worships drama team is called Acting Up. Its first meeting place was a rented building called Kidd's Hall near Green Lake Station at the corner of 5th Avenue NE and NE 72nd Street. He seemed to get worse after his mother died a decade earlier, and he was several times seen verbally and physically abusing his father. Adult Resources When the intentive killer came through the door at Wedgwood Baptist, persons in the foyer noticed his demeanor angry and the cigarette. Wedgwood Baptist Church What to Expect. I knew a lot of it because I had lived part of it and I'd heard the stories, he said. It was the kind of tragedy that could have destroyed a church. Baptist Church But he hopes the next 20 years for Wedgwood will be marked by more than the tragedy. Fannin was in the balcony when the first shots rang out. When he got to within about five feet, he pointed one of his guns at me and just glared. Investigators at his house discovered that he had virtually destroyed the interior of his house - holes were bashed into the walls with crowbars, the toilets were filled with concrete, and the fruit trees growing in the front yard had been poisoned. Why did he drive by five or six churches before he came to Wedgwood to do this? ", However, his neighbors had an entirely different view of him, describing him as strange and violent. 1. Wedgwood Baptist Church thoroughly with Scripture and Biblical scholars. WebChurch Bylaws. It's a wonderful thing. Forgiveness is not a feeling. WEDGWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH I still dont know why he did it. Effective watchfulness would have made some level of difference at Wedgwood Baptist Church. 5522 Whitman Ave. Fort Worth, TX 76133 817.292.1400 Get Directions Find us on Facebook. Wedgwood Baptist Church ISBN978-1684118519. Wedgwood Baptist Church They dont matter because it still happened, and God redeemed this difficult, horrible situation and made better people for it., PublishedSeptember 12, 2019 at 8:33 PM CDT. Neitz asked Ashbrook "What about you?" Get Directions. Sunday School) that meet weekly for prayer, Bible study, and fellowship. To refuse to forgive is insisting on drinking the poison meant for your worst enemy, because it only destroys you.. WebThere are two easy options to watch the Sunday morning Worship Service. Baptist Church We must catch the moment and work to make the future a rewarding one for the cause of the Kingdom. News. She recalled how after the shooting, she couldnt bring herself to stand to take a shower. On Sept. 15, 1999, a lone gunman, Larry Ashbrook, 47, walked into the church in south Fort Worth, which was hosting a youth event for a "See You at the Pole" rally, and shot 14 people, killing seven, before he took his own life. Here was a potentially disruptive person. The primary lesson learned from the 1999 Wedgwood Baptist Church shooting is Watchfulness. WebShow Cornerstone Baptist Church of Fort Worth, Texas, Ep The Disciplemakers - Acts 4 - 21 May 2023 Using verbal de-escalation,[3] the cigarette issue would be handled more carefully. This brings up one possible reason a Southern Baptist church was targeted. That doesnt mean he didnt struggle. Wedgwood Baptist Church Fort Worth Texas This week marks 20 years since the tragic mass shooting at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, and the church community plans to mark the anniversary with a series of events. This week marks 20 years since the tragic mass shooting at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, and the church community plans to mark the anniversary with a series of events. 817.292.1400. On Saturday afternoon, from 2 to 4 p.m., Wedgwood will open its doors to the public for a display of items memorializing that day, including newspaper headlines, photographs, cards and care packages delivered to the church in the wake of the shooting, as well as tributes to the victims and survivors. He thought it was a practical joke firecrackers or something so he went downstairs ready to discipline. Even though motives for the attack were not laid out directly, clues emerged during the following weeks. Wedgwood Baptist Church You choose to forgive no matter what, Meredith says. We do know that someone told him, "You don't need to be doing this," then told him about Jesus. Wedgwood Shooting Little Less: 20 Years After Watch on the Wedgwood YouTube Channel.The live feed will appear at the top of the page. Before coming to The News in 2018, Dana interned at the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Tulsa World. This [pointing to his handgun] is for real!" But nearly 20 years after a man opened fire in Fort Worth's Wedgwood Baptist Church, WebOn the evening of September 15, 1999, just before 7:00 pm, a crazed gunman entered Wedgwood Baptist Church and opened fire, killing seven and wounding seven. By the end of the night, Cassies family had to identify the 14-year-olds body by the Halloween-themed socks she had been wearing. Whatever the actual mental condition, the subject did not get the attention he really needed: mental health treatment and protective confinement as a danger to himself and others. When the assailant came in the door, no one had a clue that he was a danger to all concerned. Resources Neitz replied, "Sir, what you need is Jesus Christ in your life." Wedgwood Baptist Church Across the street from the Ashbrooks' home, neighbors said they saw Ashbrook treat his father violently but were afraid to report it. We are headed there one day, in heaven, and all that's wrong will be made right.. 817.292.1400. Thats Bible study night at most churches, but it was busier than a typical Wednesday at the red brick church tucked away in a residential neighborhood in south Fort Worth. MEMBERSHIP Section A. WEDGWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH During the shooting, Ashbrook was confronted by a 19-year-old former football lineman, Jeremiah "Jeremy" Neitz, who recounted the ensuing conversation for the Houston Press:[1], I don't know why, but I just sat there, looking at him as he came toward me. But thats not the point, Fannin says. This was further borne out by anti-religious material and journal entries left in his house. Monitor activity outside, in the hallways, in the classrooms, etc. Folding chairs replaced ruined pews. Hes retired, but will preach a sermon again on Sunday morning and will tell the congregation that even out of the darkest, most difficult events, God can make good happen. Contact Wedgwood Events Guest Feedback. WebThere are two easy options to watch the Sunday morning Worship Service. WebOn September 15, 1999, a mass shooting occurred at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. He told me to shut the hell up. 47-year-old Larry Gene Ashbrook entered during a See You at the Pole Rally featuring a concert by the Christian rock group Forty Days, where he killed seven people and wounded eight others before committing suicide. We will consider what happened and why, as well as whether it could have been prevented and how a church can prepare for such an incident. Find us on Facebook. Its path to healing was a combination of faith and a commitment to facing the trauma head on. 20 years after church massacre, Fort Worth 20 years after church massacre, Fort Worth's Wedgwood Baptist hopes to be 'known for more' A gunman killed seven people and injured seven more at Wedgwood Baptist Church on Sept. 15, 1999. Sunday School) that meet weekly for prayer, Bible study, and fellowship. Thousands of letters of love and support and comfort came in from around the world, and were pasted to every inch of the churchs walls. "Churches that have had bus crashes just stop being churches; theyve broken up and people have gone different ways.". Web5522 Whitman Ave. Fort Worth, TX 76133 817.292.1400 Get Directions Find us on Facebook 1999 Wedgwood Baptist Church Shooting Hed just returned to town following his own mothers funeral and says he was emotionally numb as he started navigating the chaos of the next hours and days. In September 1960, the church began an $115,000 bond drive to raise funds to build new education space and pay off the land purchase. Then, he sat down in a pew and killed himself. For example, at least one student went to school the next day. Three people sustained major injuries while four others received relatively minor injuries. Jeff Laster, now 54, was working as a custodian at the church that night when he was shot. Dana is a reporter at The Dallas Morning News covering crime and breaking news. To Meredith, what matters is that she came back in and faced the trauma. Wedgwood Shooting For more information about Acting Up, contact Phil at, The media team is headed up by our media coordinator, Scott Sumner. [6], And A Time To Heal: Wedgwood Baptist Church, 2010. Wednesday evening, the youth of Wedgwood Baptist Church gathered in the sanctuary in a rally to celebrate and worship before their participation the next morning. Harry Harris was called to be the first pastor. And the grief isnt quite so deep. 20 years after church massacre, Fort Worth When he imagined the shooter in his home late one night, he hit a breaking point: I needed the Lord to come and take this intangible feeling of not being able to protect the kids that night.. After the shooting, teens whod survived the shooting were given markers and allowed to tag the bare concrete floors in the church sanctuary, writing messages to the shooter and to their friends who hed killed. If the past is a prologue for the future, then we are equal to the task. I told him, "Sir, you don't have to be doing this." Associate Pastor for Worship, Media, Publicity, Communications, Staff Elder. ", Ashbrook fired several more rounds and yelled, "This religion is bullshit." Wedgwood Community Church As a church body, called to serve and witness for our Lord, we cannot relive our past, nor can we forecast the future. BYLAWS ARTICLE I. Meredith also insisted his staff get counseling. In 2015, he joined KERA to report on Fort Worth and Tarrant County. Spouting anti-Baptist rhetoric, he opened fire with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun and a .380-caliber handgun. Full-Spectrum Awareness By "full-spectrum" we mean all the way around, in all directions. [1], An article in a series based on the Sheepdog Church Security training course Protecting Children from Abuse [1], Copyright 2021 | Sheepdog Church Security | Built on, https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/courses/active-shooter-neutralization-and-lock-down-drills, https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/courses/active-shooter-neutralization-and-lock-down-drills-training-bundle, https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/active-shooter, https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/verbal-de-escalation/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Gene_Ashbrook, https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-09-17-9909170136-story.html, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-sep-18-mn-11519-story.html, https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-09-16-9909160147-story.html, https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/fort-worth/article234437402.html, http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,31191,00.html, https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/16/us/gunman-kills-7-and-himself-at-baptist-church-in-fort-worth.html, https://wedgwoodbc.org/about-us/our-journey/wedgwood-shooting/, https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/in-the-line-of-fire-6419365, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VcSwejU2D0&feature=player_embedded, Cupping hands as though holding something suspicious. "There can always be good coming out of something. Terror In The Sanctuary - TIME
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