BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Students, faculty and their families gathered on the campus of Virginia Tech University to mourn the day after a gunman killed 32 students, including at least one involved in the school's Baptist Collegiate Ministry.

President Bush and his wife, Laura, attended the public convocation at Cassell Coliseum "with hearts full of sorrow" on "a day of sadness for our entire nation."

"Across the town of Blacksburg and in towns all across America, houses of worship from every faith have opened their doors and have lifted you up in prayer," Bush said April 17. "People who have never met you are praying for you; they're praying for your friends who have fallen and who are injured. There's a power in these prayers, real power.

"In times like this, we can find comfort in the grace and guidance of a loving God," the president said. "As the Scriptures tell us, 'Don't be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.'"

The Virginia Tech family also heard from Gov. Tim Kaine, university President Charles Steger and representatives from the Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish and Christian communities on campus. The thousands in attendance at the coliseum and in overflow seating at the football stadium recited the Lord's Prayer and closed with emotional chants of the school cheer "Let's go Hokies."

Darrell Cook, campus minister at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry at Virginia Tech, reported that at least one student from their group, Brian Bluhm, was killed in the shootings.

"We have been overwhelmed by the support and prayers of our campus ministry family around the nation," Cook said in an e-mail circulated to Southern Baptist collegiate ministers April 17. "... We are doing all we can here to help students walk through the first steps of grief."

Cook requested prayer for Bluhm's family and friends as well as for the staff at the BCM as they minister to people in the campus community.

Jim Burton, director of volunteer mobilization for the North American Mission Board, told Baptist Press about 300 students gathered at the BCM Monday night for a prayer and worship service.

The BCM is sponsored by the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, and two chaplains were on site at the campus ministry building to assist students in the grief process, Burton said. The chaplains were continuing to assess the needs, including how to support churches as the school's 26,000 students disperse to their hometowns, he reported.

Burton also told BP that the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia sent a disaster relief kitchen unit to Blacksburg and had parked on the street next to the dorm where the first shooting occurred. They reportedly were preparing 200 meals for Bush's entourage and planned to feed about 250 law enforcement officers Tuesday night.

"The spirit of cooperation between the two Virginia conventions has been exemplary and is very reflective of the Baptist spirit," Burton said. "... The bottom line is I think we're at the appropriate level of response right now, and we're prepared to up our presence through disaster relief chaplains as needed, and the Virginia Baptist conventions anticipate being able to handle that in state."