GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Grand Blanc Township community came together for prayer services after a mass shooting at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints left four people dead and others injured.
Faith Lutheran Church opened its doors to dozens of community members for a prayer service, providing a space for healing and support in the wake of the tragedy. The shooting sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community, with several congregations organizing prayer services in response.
Watch Demetrios Sanders' video report below:
"My first instinct was why is this happening in our world," said Marcia Thomas, a member of Faith Lutheran Church.
Faith Lutheran Church was less than a mile away from the shooting and was about to begin their own service when they learned what was happening. The tragedy hit particularly close to home when they discovered personal connections to the victims.
"Several of the victims had been a part of our preschool family. So there was a close connection there that we were made aware of that really intensified the emotions of many of the people here," said Jeffrey Heimsoth, senior pastor at Faith Lutheran Church.
The church welcomed dozens of people for their prayer service, creating an open environment for anyone seeking comfort and community support.
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"We have no idea of the range of emotions that people are going through, and how do they combat this? And so we felt it was important for us to simply open our doors for anybody that wanted to come," Heimsoth said.
During the service, community members shared their emotions with one another and had the opportunity to meet with comfort dogs. Heimsoth emphasized the importance of maintaining hope during difficult times.
"It's a tragic event, but we pray that somehow God will use that for good, but that requires us to act in a compassionate manner, it requires us to reach out to our neighbors, it requires us to conquer our own fears," Heimsoth said.
For many church members, processing what occurred has been challenging.
"Just the horrifying thought that people were put in danger and traumatized, children traumatized," said Sue Hooper, a member of Faith Lutheran Church.
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Despite the tragedy, community members are finding strength through their faith and support for one another.
"In my mind, our hope is in the Lord and he can create peace out of horrendous situations, and I pray that people will find some comfort and hope and peace in this," Hooper said.
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