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Pastor shot and killed during 8 A.M. church service
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The pastor of a Maryville, Illinois, church was shot to death during a service today (March 8, 2009) in front of horrified parishioners, who then tackled the gunman, according to news reports.
The pastor of the First Baptist Church of Maryville was shot and killed during the 8 a.m. service, and the attacker and two parishioners suffered knife wounds in the attack.
The gunman walked in during the service, walked up to the pulpit and opened fire. The pastor was shot three times. The gunman then pulled out a knife and wounded himself. Two worshipers who were attempting to detain him were also injured by the knife.
According to the Christian Security Network, "In the first two months alone, the Christian Security Network has tracked 139 incidents in 31 states against Christian churches, schools and ministries."
Recently I wrote about the State House of Representatives in Arkansas that voted to allow “concealed weapons” in churches. Currently, Arkansas prohibits “concealed weapons” in churches and bars only!
Rep. Beverly Pyle who introduced the House Bill, was quoted as saying;
"It is time we changed our concealed-handgun law to allow law-abiding citizens of the state of Arkansas the right to defend themselves and others should a situation happen in one of our churches"
The following is information from the church website regarding the incident:
Today, a little after our 8:15 service began, a man entered First Baptist Church and fired several gunshots at our Senior Pastor, Dr Fred Winters.
Please pray for Dr. Winter’s family, our two brave members who were injured when they stopped the assailant, for the assailant himself and his family, and for our church members as they deal with this tragic loss.
In this day, where uncertainty seems to abound creating an environment in which people are vulnerable in doing things they might not do otherwise, one thing is certain, we, as human beings need a foundation upon which we can live our lives. We at First Baptist Maryville, along with other Christian believers, share this conviction: that foundation is God’s Word. In the pages of the Book we call the Bible, we find the pathway for peace, hope, and a quality of living life despite what circumstances we find ourselves in.
To those who believe in the power of prayer, we covet your prayers right now.
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