GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — It’s been four days since a man drove his pickup truck into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township before shooting people inside and setting the building on fire.
Four innocent lives were lost, and 10 other people were injured.
Watch Mike Duffy's video report below:
Neighbors of all faiths have been coming together this week to wrap their arms around each other. There have been several prayer services and fundraising efforts this week.
As I was talking to people who live in the area and watched the first responders come and leave with stretchers, I asked them questions about their community. One of the things that struck me was how unfamiliar some people were with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
So for the first time, I sat down with church leaders for a sincere heart-to-heart conversation about the recent tragedy. They shared what they want the community to know about their church and where we all go from here.
“I have been overwhelmed with the expressions of love and support from the community doing everything imaginable, using creative ways to reach out and show their love and support,” said Becky Burt, president of the Church of Jesus Christ.
Church elder Brent B. Ward said the wide outreach has brought light to the community.
“The reach and the impact of this event that is so tragic is bringing about a light and a goodness in our community. And I’m realizing our community in the world we live in is much bigger than a small little geographic place,” Ward said.
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I asked what they would say to the community who might be unfamiliar with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“The first thing that comes to mind is just that we are normal, everyday individuals that take our kids to school, that take them to sports practice,” Burt said. “And we have a belief system that we adhere to because it strengthens us and brings us closer to Christ.”
Ward said “we are grateful for others who have faith beliefs and we respect those faith traditions. We respect those who have no faith tradition at all. We love our families. And the thought of families and children being impacted by this is really hard. We want to make this world a better place and we want to do that shoulder to shoulder good, who we see as brothers and sisters on this earth.”
For people who don’t understand the church, Burt and Ward said people have nothing to fear.
“No. That’s an easy one. Just a simple no,” Burt said.
Ward added “we seek to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be peacemakers and build and lift and inspire and encourage, and that’s who we are. And that’s what we strive to do for each other and for every child of God on the Earth.”
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In light of everything that’s happened this past week, Burt hopes to further build connections with the community.
“I look forward to the dialogues and the discussions and the collaborations that will be made to improve connections, interfaith connections and opportunities for faith and community groups,” Burt said.
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Ward says he hopes the tragedy will also show how the community came together during a difficult time.
“So I think at the moment, the story is about a tragic event. I hope that over time, what the story that will come out is the story of these miraculous events that saved a number of people, of heroes that did things that made differences. And that that will be the story is of the way a community came together, the way people came together in the face of such adversity to bring great light,” Ward said.
