by Erin Roach, posted Monday, March 16, 2009 (15 years ago)
MARYVILLE, Ill. (BP)--Al Meredith, pastor of Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, where seven people were murdered by a gunman nearly 10 years ago, told members of First Baptist Church in Maryville, Ill., that no matter how bad it gets, the best is yet to come.
"God has given a sweet spirit of joy and hope to us that I'm seeing in you as well, that the world just doesn't understand. That's why they're so curious. Christians die differently, people."-- Wedgwood Baptist Church pastor Al Meredith
Fred Winters, First Baptist Maryville's pastor, died the previous Sunday when a gunman entered the sanctuary and shot him on the platform. All week, the church has had countless opportunities to tell a watching world whether Jesus makes a difference when life falls apart.
"We've been praying for these kinds of opportunities, and we didn't even have to budget for it. Fred would like that," Meredith said, referring to the pastor's thriftiness, during one of the morning worship services March 15 where he was the guest speaker.
Meredith said everyone's pain is unique because every situation is unique, and the fact that seven people were killed at his church doesn't minimize the fact that only one died in Maryville.
"You had one, but he was your shepherd," Meredith told the people.
He said the Book of Zechariah and the New Testament note that the enemy knows if he can strike the shepherd then the sheep will scatter.
"If this church -- you guys -- survives, it will be the grace of God," Meredith said. "You need to know we're at war. We are at battle, and there are no guarantees. My Savior lives He'll always be there for me, but almost all of us have seen churches split over things like the color of the carpet or the music they sing for crying out loud.... Read More
