Earlier this month 13 crisis-trained Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains were on the ground in San Bernardino within hours of the Dec. 2 terrorist attack. Offering emotional and spiritual care to the residents, the chaplains prayed with 361 people during the four-day deployment.
The mass shooting—which killed 14 and injured 12—was the deadliest one in the United States since Sandy Hook in 2012.
The chaplains, many of whom live in California, were available as thousands turned out for a vigil at San Manuel Stadium, a minor league ballpark. The chaplains concentrated their efforts around the memorial site and within local fire stations and churches.
The Rapid Response Team (RRT) encouraged churches to open their doors to address the needs of the community. Jack Munday, international director of the RRT said, “One of the biggest questions (locals may have) right now is, ‘How can a loving God let this happen?'”
The San Bernardino response was the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team’s third shooting-related deployment since October. Chaplains were on site at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, in October and just completed an internationally-coordinated effort in Paris following the terrorist attacks there on Nov. 13.
A Sharing Hope in Crisis seminar will be held Jan. 30 in Moreno Valley, California—about 30 minutes away from San Bernardino. The one-day course addresses how to share God’s love and comfort in the midst of difficult circumstances.
Please pray for all those affected by this tragedy.
