Fort Hood: Pastor tries to keep the faith

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By Steve Miller SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES

KILLEEN, Texas | Pastor Randy Wallace sat down Friday evening to write his weekly sermon and realized he was speaking to a different parish on Sunday. The mass killings at nearby Fort Hood were barely 24 hours old, and Mr. Wallace had to address the event: "What just happened?" he asked himself.

On Sunday, the clergyman told a group of 400 worshippers at First Baptist Killeen church, "We're not the first ones to get a kick in the gut," referring to biblical disasters, and promised that locals with ties to the tragedy will be among them for years.

"...You are going to interact with people who have stories to tell," he said. "Don't give away one chance to minister, to hug, to thank them for being there."

As Mr. Wallace exhorted the congregation to help the survivors, an Army chaplain, Col. Frank Jackson, urged mourners to pray for the shooting suspect, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, during a service in the chapel at Fort Hood. "Lord, all those around us search for motive, search for meaning, search for something, someone to blame. That is so frustrating," Col. Jackson told a group of about 120 people gathered at the post's chapel, the Associated Press reported. "Today, we pause to hear from you. So, Lord, as we pray together, we focus on things we know."

It was the first Sunday following Thursday's slaughter of 13 people -- a dozen soldiers and a civilian -- in the shooting at the processing center of the Fort Hood Army base. Thirty-one people were wounded, including Maj. Hasan. The suspect was taken off a ventilator Saturday and remains in stable but critical condition.

The passing days have been marked by the presence of dignitaries to this central Texas town, including a visit to Fort Hood by former President George W. Bush and numerous press conferences by Texas Gov. Rick Perry. On Tuesday, President Obama will attend a memorial service at Fort Hood.

First Baptist Killeen is among the first places many locals look to for spiritual guidance in a time of crisis. When a gunman murdered 22 diners at a local cafeteria in October 1991, a large memorial service was held at the 136-year-old parish, then located in the city's downtown.

Today, the massive church sits a mile off the main highway, still a dominant presence in the community. About a third of Mr. Wallace's 500-strong congregation has direct ties to Fort Hood, with another third composed of retired military.

The theme of the sermon the Sunday after the Luby's Cafeteria killings was "Untroubled by Trouble." Sunday's had no such formality, instead consisting of talking points on a half sheet of notebook paper.

Sunday evening, Mr. Perry came to the church for a memorial service. He spent much of the service quietly sitting on the altar with a group that included several local clergy members, Killeen Mayor Timothy L. Hancock and Texas state Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock.

The names of the deceased were read, and the Pledge of Allegiance was cited before Mr. Perry addressed the crowd, which was about the same size as the turnout at the morning service.

He cited the book of Hebrews in encouraging the crowd, and the community, to "spur one another on to good deeds," in his call to persevere.

"I encourage you to heal by serving," Mr. Perry added, ending his seven-minute remarks.

Sunday morning's service offered some advice from a Luby's survivor, who spoke to the congregation in a voice that still quivers with his haunted memories.

"It's been 18 years, and it's still pretty -- hard," Gerald Farris told the congregation as he stood at the podium. Mr. Farris said that his first reaction was one of anger -- at God. It took him two years before he was ready to forgive; he read the Bible with a zeal he had not known before, 12 times through the New Testament and twice through the Old Testament.

The folks who witnessed the killings at Fort Hood may initially ignore any lingering trauma, Mr. Farris said.

"There were up to 300 people in the processing center when the shooting began, and they will have to come to grips of some sort," Mr. Farris said.