After mass shooting, Oregon town residents turn to churches
(The Christian Science Monitor) As the residents of Roseburg, Oregon, come to terms with their grief, pastors have been at the forefront.
People in the southern Oregon timber town—located in what’s sometimes called the state’s Bible Belt—sought solace in church services following Thursday’s deadly shooting rampage at Umpqua Community College. Local church leaders moved quickly to calm residents, provide comfort, and work with the community as it tries to heal.
Two hundred people crowded into Garden Valley Church on Sunday, where pastor Craig Schlesinger told parishioners that living the faith means countering the rampage "with acts of kindness.’ " He spoke about making sense of survivor reports that the gunman, Christopher Sean Harper-Mercer, asked who was Christian before shooting them.
