December 17, 2007

Denise Dinofrio is thankful her children had the flu last Sunday. Otherwise, her 7-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter would have attended the 11 a.m. service at New Life Church in Colorado Springs where a gunman opened fire, killing two members of the congregation and wounding several others, before taking his own life. “My children are very sensitive and witnessing a shooting would have scarred their spirits irreparably," Dinofrio said in phone interview Friday. "In fact, even though they weren't at the church, they both are having nightmares from overhearing people talk and sneaking peeks at the news.

”But,” Dinofrio added, “I’ve been able to tell them that God loves them so much, He used sickness to protect them from greater harm.” The single mother has attended New Life Church since 1999 and has no plans to leave. “People get shot at malls, too, and I know that God has numbered our days. He knows where and when He will call us home. I have no fear.”

Lindsey McCormick also missed the fatal service, but lives close enough to have heard the sirens and seen the emergency vehicles speed by on the way to New Life. A former small group leader, McCormick started getting concerned calls and text messages while the shooter was still in the building. “News spread very quickly. Everybody called to check in with everybody,” McCormick told Crosswalk.com. "It seemed surreal.”

Dinofrio and McCormick are just two of the thousands of people touched by the senseless rampage that began in the early hours of Dec. 9 when Matthew Murray opened fire at the Youth With a Mission (YWAM) missionary training school in the Denver suburb of Arvada. There, he shot and killed Phil Crouse and Tiffany Johnson, and wounded Dan Griebenow and Charlie Blanch. Approximately 12 hours later, Murray showed up in Colorado Springs to attack the New Life congregation.

News and police reports since the time of the shootings paint a picture of a disturbed young man who apparently hated Christians. But, the very people Murray tried to damage have rallied together and are displaying God's glory to a watching world. The numerous Christian nonprofit organizations headquartered in Colorado Springs, along with members of New Life and other churches across the city, are praying, mourning, praising God and healing.

“The people I know are dealing with this fairly well," McCormick shared during her interview. She described how her friends are looking for lessons in the tragedy. “When anything like this happens and the Christian community gathers, we draw strength from each other. We recognize that God does not desire for us to go through this pain. That's not His natural design. Yes, it's hurtful for the family and hurtful for the people involved, but what are we going to take from this that will push us more toward being in the place Christ called us to be, loving and forgiving one another? How can we reach out better to people like Matthew [the gunman]?

”I think the message might be that we need to shift the focus off of ourselves and more on to the community around us and invest in reaching out," she added.

Other members of New Life Church gathered for a family meeting Dec. 12. Pastor Brady Boyd told his congregation: "What we are doing tonight is making a declaration and I want to make it early. As your pastor, I want you to look at me and I want you to hear what I am about to say. We will not be governed by fear. We are a people of faith, and faith brings hope and faith brings peace.”

Boyd urged the congregation to receive courage, strength and hope from one another and from heaven.

"My heart's been broken this week, like yours has, over the events that have happened,” Boyd said. “I know throughout the room there are 7,000 stories of where you were and the way you heard it and what you experienced. I hope at some point you'll get to share your stories because it's important in the healing process."

The congregation prayed for those who were injured, Larry Bourbonnais and Judy Purcell. ”Some of our pastors saw the Purcells’ car yesterday and the fact that Judy was the only one who suffered a shoulder injury, and it was not life threatening, is a miracle. Their car was shot to pieces. Bullets were all throughout the car and the seats. The police told me privately on Monday it that was a real miracle.”

They also prayed for David Works, the father of victims Stephanie and Rachael (right), who Boyd described as devoted followers of Christ. “I can tell you tonight I know they are in heaven rejoicing with our Lord and Savior.”

Boyd assured the congregation there will be Sunday services this week. “We will sing and make music to the Lord. We will not fear. This is a safe place to come and worship.” He closed the service by encouraging members to walk around the building, pray and anoint it with oil. “Throughout Scripture, when a temple has been desecrated, they always anointed it with oil to renew it and rededicate it to God.”

More than 1,500 people gathered Dec. 12 at Faith Bible Chapel in Arvada to celebrate the lives of the two YWAM staff members who were killed. Peter Warren, director of YWAM Denver, said Philip Crouse and Tiffany “embodied the spirit of YWAM with a gladness and joy to serve others.”