(Ingrid Lindemann/The Spokesman-Review)
Last night, a gunman opened fire on the Latah County Courthouse, killing a police officer and retreated into Moscow's First Presbyterian Church where he killed the church's sexton, that is, building and grounds caretaker, and himself. The gunman's body was found on the sanctuary with his weapon and spent ammunition.
Pictured here is Rev. Norman Fowler, the church's pastor. You can hear his comments to the press today here. You can see his shock in how ill at ease he is and how he is trying to
maintain an almost relaxed composure with the press. Watching him is unsettling.
Personally, I think he's in a terrible position. How can he possibly talk about such a terrible loss? Paul Bauer, the murdered sexton, lived in the church. Before talking publicly, I'd think he'd need some time to recover a bit.
The congregation worshipped this morning in the Lionel Hampton School of Music building. I wonder how they will adapt to returning to their church building.
I keep thinking that their place of worship has suffered a terrible violation. Their sanctuary is stained with the blood of a murderer, a man who killed himself at the place these people come to be safe and to pray and sing hymns and to be instructed.
I know they can and will pray for the family of the police officer killed and for the welfare of the civilian and other office who were wounded.
I know they will pray for the killer. They already did this morning. I know they will pray for their own congregation and to be guided by the Holy Spirit in their grief.
I keep thinking about the sanctuary. How long will it be before the congregation can come into their church and not feel the chill of knowing that a terrible deed transpired in the safe haven of their sanctuary? The physical stains of the killer's blood can be cleaned and removed, but can the spiritual and psychological damage? Won't it be spooky? Can this violation ever be redeemed and a sense of sanctuary ever be restored?
I find it impossible not to think of how sacred a sanctuary is and how churches have seen sanctuaries as a place of protection, a place of refuge, even for the criminal.
I'm out of my depth here. I don't know what Pastor Fowler will do or can do to sanctify this place of worship, to restore its sense of safety. Crimes always carry with them different levels of violation. In this case, a neighborhood, a city, the families of the dead and wounded were all terribly violated.
And so was this place of worship. As the story has been reported, it's the sanctuary I've thought the most about.
It's hard for me to believe that worship in this sanctuary won't always be accompanied by the ghosts of what happened last night. I think of a santuary as a place to temporarily be free of such ghosts.
5 comments:
Many of these thoughts ran through my mind also. I heard from my friend Bev this a.m.- she dropped her friend off a block away from the church at 11:15. She was shocked.
My Dad was glad our daughter, S, was home, and not in Moscow when this occurred. He knew she attended church, but he didn't know where. It was somewhere else, but the violation will likely affect church goers all over the state.
Prayer can sanctify an area, but the memories won't be erased. It will likely be difficult for the congregants to re-enter their sanctuary. If the pastor is wise he will set up a time - for people to come and pray and worship prior to the "official" worship service on Sunday. People will need to feel safe, sense God's presence there and have a peace in their spirits about returning. (Maybe he will need to station some officers outside for the congregants' initial return.)
I know it's not exactly what you're getting at, but similar thoughts always go through my head when I hear of violent home invasions. Home, the place where you are at ease and comfortable, suddenly turning into a place of horror and unspeakable experiences. I imagine the shock of violation taints every benign and familiar object with a pall of remembered evil.
I think you're right, though--that place of worship can't help but be marked by that experience.
InlandEmpireGirl: My goodness! Bev must really be shocked.
IEGirl, Pinehurst in my Dream, and Katrina: I know that the murders and the suicide are the big story. They have to be. But I keep thinking about that congregation. I agree that the power of prayer is sanctifying and, Katrina, I think your analogy of a house being broken into is right on the mark, and to all of you, I just don't know how terrible memories can't haunt that congregation for a long time...truly their sanctuary has been visited by an evil that no amount of talk or reassurance about the power of God in the face of evil will do much to remove the stain. Maybe I'm wrong. I guess I'm pretty sure how I would feel in their place and it would haunt me for a long, long time.
Hi there all. Thank you Raymond for developing this conversation. First, I am a member of FPC Moscow, but I do not speak for the church. I can share my experience. I entered our church later Monday afternoon. At that time it was to assist in ensuring that the building was secured and that the sections of broken glass were covered. I didn't spend much time at all reviewing the damages. I did that on Tuesday.
We will miss Paul. He's a good person and would often say that the church found him and not the other way around. There seemed to be a continuous cycle of faith and reciprocity.
The common thread here is how we will enter our sanctuary and our building again knowing what happened there: the violence and violation. We have moved the staff back into the church and they have been there since Tuesday (the 29th). This church is a beautiful and glorious building with history and meaning as deep as the Palouse basalt it sits upon; there is no way we could not go back to celebrate in our faith. I wish the web page for the church would include pictures of the sanctuary and the stained glass, it is something that really has to be shared.
On Tuesday we held prayers throughout the church, blessing and strengthening and working towards healing. That same evening the Session met and conducted the business of the church. It was filled with conversation and discussion and regular business and prayer and strength. We were all glad to be back, using the facility for its purpose. Tonight, Wednesday, we held a Taize Service in our Narthex. We are excited that we will again be back in the sanctuary this Sunday to re-consecrate the church and celebrate the Sacrament. I think it will be a full house and then some. You should come.
How can we do this so many are wondering. For me it is easy: this is where I worship and share family and faith. I want to be in there. Although putting sentient traits to a structure doesn't always make sense, I feel the church needs and misses us as it heals. We will also heal over time.
The damage is mostly removed. By Sunday the church repairs will easily be 98% completed. The contractor that headed up this process was nothing short of really generous, understanding, and passionate. His team and the subcontractors seem to want to make things right and be involved. The sense of purpose, motivation, and caring are felt so deeply. I have a sense it is as much a healing for them as community members to be able to work towards healing the church and themselves. It is really a wonderful thing to be a part of and involved with. There is the light and so much more. Even at our darkest hours, the darkness will not overcome the light.
I hope this will help some to understand how we can go back in. And, really, you should come and attend this Sunday. 9:30am...you'll want to be early.
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