1. Pray that God would be glorified through this tragedy. He is good and we trust that there is purpose in this.
2. Pray that He would use this to bring many to Christ.
3. Pray for the friends and families of those lost in this tragedy.
4. Pray for those who are recovering from injuries.
5. Pray for us and other churches as we seek to minister to our students, people, and community through this. Pray that God would grant all of us wisdom, compassion, and energy.
6. Pray for the family of the shooter.

More Prayer Requests  (Printable List)

We have been praying for you this summer, and are glad to have you back with us! We especially welcome any new students to the area. If any of you desire counseling or prayer in regards to the tragedy at Virginia Tech last semester, or in any other matter, please know that our pastors, elders and campus minister are available. Contact information is on this website.  In addition, for those desiring professional counseling, we recommend Associates in Brief Therapy here in Blacksburg (877-895-8674 or 951-2227)

 

 ~ Pastor H

It is our prayer that we will all be ministered to by Greg Thompson this week as he teaches us about the place of mourning in the Christian's life.  I can speak for all the ministers that we are very grateful for Greg's willingness to come down on such short notice to minister God's Word to us in this time, as well as demonstrate our Presbytery's care for us and the students and staff of VT.  I think we are all tired, and sad, and yet realize that there is a time for us to try to return to the normal routines of life, while yet looking for God to continue to use us to minister His comfort to others in this time.  After all, we are those with hope, and no matter how tired or sad we must be, the Lord has left us here in Blacksburg for a reason. 

 

As you know, we have been forced to think through what it means to respond to a crisis and tragedy of this nature in a way that is helpful to building God's kingdom.  The week before the shootings, Kyle and I attended a pastor's conference in Mississippi which was very encouraging and challenging to us.  One of the conference themes was the importance of relying on God's simple means of grace to build His kingdom.  And yet modern Christians often miss this, so reliant have we become on hype, big events and media attention.  As Ligon Duncan, the convener, and senior minister of First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, MS, said, "Evangelicals often overestimate what they can accomplish in five years, and underestimate what they can accomplish in twenty."  Now, if that is so, think about these past couple of weeks!  In our case, I would adjust the quote to say, "During a crisis, evangelicals often overestimate what they can accomplish overnight and underestimate what they can accomplish over the long term."

 

These past few weeks, what we learned from Luke 24 on Easter Sunday has really stuck with me, even through this crisis -- how Jesus chose to spend a large portion of the first day of the New Creation with two unknown men on a road going to a small village.  Jesus in all His resurrected glory chose to spend almost all His time with a few people, quietly, behind the scenes.  We learn from this two things, I think.  First, that Jesus took the time to really care for people, to love them, even if it does not seem as efficient as passing out massive amounts of literature.  Second, that this low-key approach really is the most effective way to build the Kingdom in a way that will last -- after all, it is what Jesus and the Apostles did in their ministry (with a few one-time exceptions, such as the feeding of the 5,000 or Pentecost).

 

But the point for us is this:  long after the glare of the media lights die down, and major personalities have moved on, we will still be here, ministering to people behind the scenes in ways that build the Kingdom after Jesus' example, not caring whether the world notices or not.  We will be building for the long term, so that the next time a crisis hits, more souls will be savingly prepared for death.  And we will build up Christians in wisdom, holiness and love, so that those who survive will be able to respond maturely, even as I been privileged to watch you all these past couple of weeks.

 

Now, I know that God in His mercy uses all kinds of efforts.  Big and small, loud and quiet, public and private.  But that does not mean that they are all equal in bringing Him glory.  The question with each effort is not how much splash will it make, but how much faith does it spring from, and whether it promotes faith in Jesus or faith in the event itself.  Chew on that for awhile.  You see, the wonderful thing about the ordinary Means of Grace is that they are so simple and unadorned that they must press people towards faith in Christ and be blessed by the Spirit, or they will be utterly useless and boring and ineffective.  That is what the five Solas of the Protestant Reformation are all about. 

 

So, how then will we apply the Means of Grace to the aftermath of this crisis?  The same way we have been.  Let me try to spell it out a little.  The three Means of Grace that God gives us are:  the Word, Sacraments and Prayer (Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q. 88).  Now, the way these three are embodied among us personally is by Discipleship, Fellowship and Care.  In other words, one cannot just go to Sunday services, hear the sermon, say a prayer and take the elements of communion and think God is at work.  Where the Spirit of God is blessing these three means, they will be fleshed out among us by our obeying God's Word (discipleship), loving those around the Lord's Table (fellowship), and providing for the needy (care).  So let's take a look at these three means and their three fruits here and now as we respond to this crisis:

 

The Word ~ At all times, we want to make the Word of Christ, the hope of the Gospel central.  We have done so in our worship services, in RUF, and even in our email updates.  Without the promises of the Gospel found in God's Word, we have nothing to say.  This is the one thing that we can offer the hurting that no other relief organization can offer.  This is our unique calling and we build nothing lasting without it.  For how they can believe, unless they hear, and how can they hear, unless someone tells them? (Romans 10:14)

 

Discipleship ~ Here is where the rubber meets the road, where the Word hits individual people.  Looking out on Sunday morning, I cannot always tell who is being affected or not, who is being truly fed or not.  That can only be discovered by individual conversations.  And the pastors and elders cannot hold them all.  That is why the whole body must go out and minister the Word to folks in their own settings (Col. 3:16).  This is what I meant by Grace Covenant holding "200 evangelistic events" in the wake of this tragedy.  This is why I have been reminding us again and again of Colossians 4:2-6:  to pray for open doors, making the most of every opportunity, speaking words of grace, and yet seasoned with salt.

 

Sacraments ~ The Sacraments are a visible sign and seal to us of the invisible promises in God's Word.  And yet, we do not hold that they operate magically, or that our faith should be placed in them rather than the Christ which they represent.  And so it would be wrong headed to offer extra Communion services at this time.  Nor yet should we alter from our normal plan, for that would show a lack of faith in the opposite direction.  Rather, we trust that as we continue with our normal program of worship, that God will build His Church upon the Gospel so that the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18).

 

Fellowship ~ I cannot tell you how important this has been for members, and particularly VT students, this past week.  Part of what the Sacraments remind us of is that in being united to Christ, we are united to one another, formally through church membership, and organically, in our love for one another.  And so in one sense, as members have had students in their homes and as believers have hung out together, crying, listening and even laughing together, it is almost as if they were doing so around the Lord's Table.  We have been fleshing out what it means to feed by faith on Jesus together around One Table.  Perhaps more than anything else, the Lord will use this witness of our love for one another as the best form of evangelism in this time of sorrow (John 17:21).

 

Prayer ~ This is so important and obvious not much need be said.  Just know that literally thousands of people are praying, not only for VT and Blacksburg, but specifically for us at Grace Covenant.   I had personally run out of gas on Wednesday afternoon and could barely function and yet still had specific tasks I needed to get done that day.  Then I remembered that someone somewhere was praying for me and then got up off the floor (literally) and somehow got done what was needed.  And I need not tell you again how in God's providence in allowing our first prayer meeting to be photographed (we did not invite the media; they just came), how many people from around the world were encouraged to see us in prayer.  I told the photographers that it wasn't good visuals -- no candles, no costumes or memorials, just heads bowed in sincere and humble prayer.  And that is what the world saw to the praise of God's glorious grace.

 

Care ~ Finally, it makes no sense to pray for people if we don't also look for ways to care for them physically.  James reminds us, "if a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?" (2:15).  Rather, he tells us, pure religion is to visit orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world (1:27).  So, what does that mean in our context?  Well, there were and are some physical needs, certainly, such as places to stay, meals, and so forth.  But by and large, this is a spiritual crisis.  And what care means in this context may mostly be a listening ear.  "Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry" (James 1:19).  Is it possible that the best evangelism we can do after such a tragedy begins with listening, only then speaking words of grace, calling people to repent of their own sins?  What do you think will be more effective in the long run -- a listening ear, or a one-size-fits-all tract?  200 evangelistic events.  At least, by God's grace.

 

And so as we apply ourselves to these Means of Grace and their fruits with humility, love and faith, I have no doubt that God will build His kingdom among us in ways we cannot now imagine.  But we must let God set His agenda for us and blissfully ignore the world's agenda in all its hype and media frenzy.  That might mean that we reach people we would never have thought of, people the world does not notice and does not care about.  May we be that kind of church, one that lives for God and His glory, and not the glittery praise of this world, so loud and so fleeting.

 

 

Amen.  ~ Pastor H

Praying friends,

 

This will most likely be my last lengthy update regarding prayer and other needs in the wake of the VT tragedy.  Pray for everyone to be able to both mourn and continue with some sense of normalcy as classes begin again this week.  Continue to pray for all those things we mentioned last week -- students, professors, police and medics, counselors, pastors, the VT administration, and for the Gospel to go forth.

 

1.  Worship  The service on Sunday was a great encouragement, lasting a full 2 hours long with a full sanctuary.  It was a blessing to have so many out of town visitors with us -- members, parents of students, and even other folks that were here for the weekend to help the VT community mourn and heal.   

 

2.  One Morning Service  In light of the fact that we could get everyone in the sanctuary on Sunday, even though it was tight, the Session has decided to suspend the 8:15 AM service two weeks earlier than originally planned.  We believe it continues to be important that we worship as one church family the rest of the semester.  The 8:15 service will recommence at the beginning of Fall semester in August.  We do apologize to any who are inconvenienced by this change.

 

3.  Help from Charlottesville  Many churches and individuals have sent notes of encouragement and prayer.  Our presbytery spent a special time on Friday night praying for us and Blacksburg.  Another church from Tennesee sent our deacons $500 to help with mercy needs.  In addition to all this, we are delighted to invite into the pulpit this coming Sunday, April 29th, Rev. Greg Thompson, Sr. Pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville.  Not only will Greg's preaching minister to the pastors by our being able to sit under the Word, but his being with us is a way of symbolizing the wider church's care for us in this hour, from the heart of UVA, no less.  Greg is the former RUF minister at UVA -- see how the Gospel breaks down walls!  Please pray for him to bring us the comfort of the Gospel.

 

4.  RUF  Pray for the RUF meeting tonight at 8:30 in War Memorial Chapel.  Continue to pray for JR, Eliza, Mackenzie and the student leaders, for perseverance, compassion, and wisdom as they minister day in and day out to a hurting student body.  For more prayer needs, see www.vt.ruf.org.

 

5.  MacArthur Message   John MacArthur gave a special message concerning the tragedy on his radio program, "Grace to You," and they are sending us 100 free copies for us to distribute.  Look for them on Sunday.

 

6.  Events  The VT student group organizing the benefit concert tonight decided for various reasons NOT to go ahead with it after all.  They have decided instead to forego large events and focus on a low-key approach of a prayer meeting each day at noon at the flag pole in front of Burruss Hall.  They invite everyone to join them there.  For more information, see www.vt-one.com. 

 

7. Outreach  As I said on Sunday, we are opting not to do any big, public events as a church, although we are happy to pray for the efforts of other evangelical churches.  Instead, what we should aim for is several hundred evangelistic events -- quiet and small -- as each of you takes the opportunity to check up on your friends and colleagues, praying for an opportunity to share the love of Christ with them in this time of reflection.  Personally, I believe that this is the best way to build the Kingdom in a way that fits the character of our town, and in a way which will truly last, whether the world notices or not.

 

Thank you to everyone for all your prayers, support, encouragement and work to help our church reflect the love of Christ.  Comfort the afflicted with the comfort you yourselves have received from Christ.

 

~ Pastor H

Dear Praying friends,

 
1. Lord's Day Reminders  Remember that there is no 8:15 service, so that we can all join together as one family tomorrow at 10:45 AM. Please pray for God to pour out His Spirit upon our time together as worship, regroup, and hear from God's Word of hope. Remember also the combined adult Sunday School class where we will be offered grief counseling training by Vic and Laura. Finally, remember also the kind invitation of the Ribbens for all college students and their friends (and parents if in town) to come to a cookout at their house. Again, if you would like to help with that, please let them know.

2. Invite  I have been talking and emailing all week from Colossians 4:2-6 about the importance of praying for open doors to make Christ plain, speaking graciously and yet sprinkled with salt. One way you can do that is to invite your friends and neighbors to worship tomorrow. While we are going to still keep it as a worship service for our own congregation to turn towards God in grief and hope, nothing is a more powerfully evangelistic for those God is drawing towards Himself, than seeing God's people in worship. If we run out of chairs, no big deal, some of us will stand. Invite.

3. Prayer  Along with all the other needs which have been mentioned, let us also remember to pray for the gunman's family, who are devasted by this and under threat themselves. Pray also for the police who were the first on the scene. I have also heard disturbing reports of hatred arising in the wake of this tragedy, first in the form of prejudice and threats against local Asians here in Blacksburg, and second in the form of protestors at at least one of the funerals from a cult which believes the deceased deserved death on account of God's hatred for America. Pray against these further manifestations of the evil one in our midst.

4. Free literature  Various Reformed publishing houses have been sending us literature on grief and the gospel, and more is on the way. There is a table in the foyer with piles of these books and booklets free for you to take. Take as many as you think you need. There's more in the office. Pray for God bless the efforts of Calvary Memorial Church, a reformed baptist from Roanoke as they distribute some sound Christian literature Sunday evening on the VT campus. Pray also for our church's licensed counselors who have offered their services to VT, that the Lord would use them mightily.

5. Ulfers   In the midst of all this, one of our dear missionary couples, Bob & Yezmn Ulfers just arrived here in town for a few weeks to visit with their children, Bina, Hannah and Josiah. Pray for God to bless their time here (they can't be with us this Sunday), and for God to use them to minister to all three of their children and others, including Internationals. Bob & Yezmin were instrumental in getting the VT African Christian Fellowship started when they were here last year on furlough.

6. Radio interview  As you can imagine, I did a few interviews this week. One man called me at 11 PM from Kathmandu. I had to Google it to know which continent that was even on (look it up!). One interview I thought was worth passing on can be found at this link: http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/on_call/Default.asp .   You have to register to get the file, but registration is free.  It is Christian medical show of all things, and offers some good advice about dealing with post traumatic stress; I am on the second segment of the show (minutes 15-30, I think), discussing what we are trying to do as a church to help.  You may find it an encouragement.

7. Benefit Concert  I have received word that a VT Christian student group called VT-ONE is working on a benefit concert Tuesday night to raise money for the families of the victims. The Newsboys are committed to being there, along with some other Christian musicians. The benefit concert is largely for the families and the community (as opposed to campus and students). Details TBA. They ask for prayer for space to open up for them to have so large an event. I am not much into the CCM scene, so I know nothing about the Newboys, but it sounds like a great way to bring some financial help to those in mourning.

See you all tomorrow.  Every blessing in Christ our Lord to each of you, Pastor H

GCPC friends,

 

1.  Day of Mourning  As we spent the day in remembrance, mourning and prayer, I was privileged to read Scripture and offer a prayer on a local radio station, which you can listen to here:    www.nrvnews.com (go to the link on the left).  I think you will find it to be a different approach than the one taken at the VT convocation on Tuesday.

 

2.  Presbytery  In just a few minutes, I will be leaving with Bill Bebout for our meeting of Blue Ridge Presbyery tonight.  Pastor Kyle is staying here in case any needs arise.  Tomorrow, he will be going, and I will be staying here.  Both of us can be reached on our cell phones.  The primary reason I am going is that Presbytery has dedicated the prayer time tonight to us and Blacksburg and VT, and I want to be there as your respresentive and soak up their prayers, that I might be strengthened to bring Christ to you.

 

3.  Gatherings  I am so encouraged by how many professors and others are having their students over to their homes, all outside of the glare of the media spotlights.  May God bless each of these gatherings.  The Ribbens are inviting all college students and their friends to their house for a cookout after worship on Sunday.  GCPC families, if you would like to help and/or bring food, please contact Kathy.    Since we are not having a potluck, I highly encourage everyone to consider having others over at their homes for lunch that day, to encourage one another in Christian fellowship.

 

4.  Victims Families  Remember these dear folks as the round of funerals and memorial services begin this weekend.  Pray that God would draw many to Himself through Jesus Christ and give them His comfort. 

 

5.  Students, Faculty, Employees, Responders, etc.  Continue to lift all of these up in prayer.  One of our students who was active in RUF, and has attended GCPC, Clay Violand, is now telling his story of how God spared his life:  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9678535 .  Please pray for him, while respecting his continued need for privacy and mourning.  Haiyan's story, along with the RUF meeting Tuesday night is told in this WORLD article: http://www.worldmag.com/articles/12883 .  Continue to pray for JR and Mackenzie and Kyle as they keep on ministering to our students day after day.

 

6.  International Students   A large number of international students were killed in the massacre.  Pray for InterVarsity worker Rob Howe, and for the McKeons and others as they seek to minister to the hurting International community at VT.

 

7.  Printable Prayer Requests  Former pastor and Blue Ridge Presbytery Stated Clerk, Don Clements, took the trouble of typing up a list of prayer requests that JR and I had sent him through yesterday.  It is also on our website, if you know of anyone who would prefer this format.

 

Thank you all for praying and all the other ways you all are serving the Church and our community right now.  ~ Pastor H

GCPC praying friends,

 

 

2.  Offers for Help  We continue to get messages offering prayers and support from all over the world.  We are very grateful for all the generous offers of help that have been made.  Pray for us to have wisdom which to take, and which to take on ourselves, knowing that the Lord has called us to be here and that this is our town, and these are our people.  Pray for the Lord to use those ministries which have come to town, some invited, others not, but the Lord remains in control.  Pray also for the Lord to restrain the various cults and other false teachings which are also trying to take advantage of this tragedy for their own ends.

 

3. Korean Christians  Pastor John Jeong, of All Nations Fellowship Church in Blacksburg (Christian Reformed Church), who has worshipped us with us frequently, expresses his condolences.  He also expresses great sadness that he was never able to reach the gunman with the Gospel.  Pray for our Korean brothers to let the truth of God's sovereign grace to free them from any guilt or shame, and that God would use Pastor John, his church, and other Korean Christians in Blacksburg to win many Koreans and other internationals to faith in Jesus Christ in the wake of this tragedy.  There is a gathering of Korean Christians tonight at Blacksburg Baptist Church at 7:30 pm.

 

4. RUF students  VT just posted that they will continue the semester beginning on Monday, giving the option to students to not complete their classes on a case by case basis.  JR is now posting periodic updates now on their website, www.vt.ruf.org.  We had a good time of prayer together on the drillfield at noon yesterday.  It turned out to be a multi-faith event, but they allowed each participating group to gather in our own circles so that we would feel complete freedom in prayer.  The RUF students are doing a great job of drawing close together and finding great comfort in Christian fellowship.  Please pray for those who are struggling more than others, for those who feel guilt (such as ones who overslept and missed their classes where the massacre occured), and for others who were in the slaughtered classrooms but were themselves unharmed.  JR had another opportunity to be interviewed on the radio, albeit much too briefly:  http://www.wcbs880.com/ .

 

5.  Resident Life Employees  Pray for the Wylies and for Jamie Penven as they work unbelievably long days helping RAs, families and students cope with the tragedy.  Pray for God to give them strength and wisdom, making the most of every opportunity to show the love of Christ.  Pray for all the RAs to seek for God in the midst of emptying dorms.

 

6.  Housing Ministry  I urge you to take note of the messages posted to our email list from the Red Cross and the Cramwell Center of the need for housing for parents of students and internationals coming to Blacksburg.  Prayefully consider opening up your home to strangers in the love of Christ. 

 

7. Building Campaign  The officers and building committee had a long-standing meeting scheduled last night to prayerfully make a decision about what our next step should be regarding our Building Campaign, given the amount of pledges received at the end of our stated pledging period.  This meeting has been postponed until we are all in a frame of mind to think more clearly about our church's long-term needs.  Nevertheless, continue to pray for God to bless and lead us in this effort.  If anything, this week's events may help guide us in our what our proper priorities should be.  Pray.     

 

8. Worship  It is time for us to begin praying and thinking about worship this coming Lord's Day.  How to balance the current need for mourning with when to begin returning to a sense of normalcy, trusting in God's ordinary means of grace to advance His kingdom (the Word, Sacraments and Prayer, with discipleship, fellowship and care).  Pray for God to bless this coming Lord's Day service, and that the mysteries of Christ would be made plain to any visitors He brings us.  Pray.

 

9. Outreach  I  plan on writing a whole separate message on our outreach philosophy and strategy during this period.  For now, let me say that it will be after the model of Jesus displaying His glory on Easter Sunday, spending hours with two unknown men on a lonely road to a small village of Emmaus.  In other words, we will continue to promote quiet, behind the scenes, one-on-one ministering of the Gospel to your friends.  We have available in the church building copies of a booklet Ultimate Questions, as well as more copies of John Piper's Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Died for you to pass out to any friends asking questions.  Take note also that the movie, Amazing Grace, about the efforts of Christians John Newton (who wrote the hymn) and William Wilberforce to end the British slave trade, is coming to the Lyric from Sunday, April 29th through Thursday, May 3rd.  If you or a friend needs an escape from the media blare or just need a break, this might be a good opportunity.  Pray.

 

~ Pastor H

GCPC family,

 

1) Prayer Meetings  A reminder that there is a Noon gathering of Christians today on the drillfield.    RUF was jammed full last night and JR and the student leaders did a great job of speaking the Gospel in various ways.  Fellow PCA pastor Ed Dunnington came up from Roanoke to join us.  For those who could not make it, more pictures of our prayer service Monday night at GCPC are found here: 

 

2) Victims  As of this time, 30 of the 32 deceased have been identified.  In addition to the three Campus Crusade students (Mary Read, Jerrett Lane, and Lauren McCain), it appears that two students involved with the Baptist Collegiate Ministries students were also taken home (Brian Bluhm, Rachel Elizabeth Hill).  The faith of several of these is quite evident in the various listings in the media, such as that found here:  http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,266466,00.html .  In addition, one of the deceased, Austin Cloyd, was a 2006 graduate of Blacksburg High, and known well by several of our families.  Please keep all these ministries and families in prayer, together with all the other families of the victims and the injured.

 

3) Responders  One of our members, Eliza Ross, who is an EMT, was one of the first medics on the scene.  She was able to pray with one of her fellow medics in the ambulance.  She reports that many of the first-responders, who are not believers, are taking the trauma very hard, and need much prayer.  Pray for the Lord to speak to Eliza through all this, and that she could be a witness of God's grace to her co-workers.

 

4) Children  Please pray for the Blacksburg children who lost parents, for Christian students and teachers to minister the Gospel, and for wisdom for all the teachers as Montgomery County Schools reopen tomorrow. 

 

5) VT Employees  Most of you know that although classes are cancelled, VT employees returned to work today.  Pray for strength, and for believers to have a chance to talk about their faith.  Pray for Faythe in particular, who had to go to work, even though her building, Norris Hall, is shut down for the rest of the semester.

 

6) Counseling   Laura Gardner has returned from Boston with Tom, and is also making herself available for counseling, along with Vic and the three other pastors.  Again, please have people call the church office (540-552-3364) or send me an email (chris@gracecovenantpca.org which is my confidential email address).  Member Mark Witherspoon, who is a psychologist, tells me that many emotional difficulties may not emerge for weeks to come.  As I told the RUF students last night, long after the media has left, we will still be here.  Take time to be listened to, and to listen.  Comfort others with the comfort which God gives you through Christ (II Corinthians 1:3-7).

 

7) Pastoral Care Teams  I have asked all our elders to make contact with all of you sometime in the next week, just to give everyone a chance to debrief.  I have also been reminded of good practical advice from former GCPC pastor, Don Clements -- make sure you get enough sleep and drink plenty of liquids.  Keep in mind that this going to be a marathon, not a sprint, particularly as the round of funerals begin this weekend.

 

8) Gatherings  Thank you to the Poteets for opening up their home tonight for students to gather and eat.  (See their email on this for details and to RSVP).  If you plan or hear of other gatherings of like nature, please let me know.  A large number of our students are staying in town this week.  It is important that all of our students know they are loved and cared for.

 

9) Outreach  Once again, this is largely going to be one-by-one at this point, through the conversations you all have with friends, colleagues, or strangers.  If you reach a point where it would be helpful to bring an elder or one of the pastors in to the conversation, please let us know and we would love to do so.  We were ordained to the Lord's service for such a time as this.

 

 

~ Pastor H

GCPC Friends,

 

Here is the latest information and plans that we have:

 

1) We continue to receive emails and phone calls from all over the country of people expressing their support in prayer, and asking how they may help.  We are grateful for all of this love shown to us in this hour, and trust that God will use their prayers to help us as a church reach out with the Gospel.  We are posting these updates and prayer requests to our website, www.gracecovenantpca.org so that you can refer people there.  If you know of a media request, do feel free to pass on the info to me or Kyle or JR; it's just that we want to control which ones we respond to.  Thank you.

 

2) You probably know by now that Virginia Tech has cancelled classes for the week.  Pray for those students who are going home to be with family, or to attend funerals.  Pray for those who stay, that we might minister to them while they are here.  I do not know how many will be back with us by Sunday morning.

 

3) So far, 22 names of the deceased have been published, and none of them were people known to have been attenders at Grace Covenant.  Nor have I heard that any of the wounded are known to us.  This frees us up to reach out into the wider community (see #6 below), so please pray for those efforts.

 

4) If any of you have felt the need to talk and pray one on one about this tragedy but have held back to see if someone had a greater need, please contact us now, and one of the elders will be happy to meet with you.

 

5) RUF is being held tonight at 9 PM in War Memorial Chapel on campus.  As far as I know, this may be the first group gathering of any kind held in the chapel since the murders.  Kyle and I are going as well to show the students our love and support.  Pray for the Lord to bless this time abundantly and especially to be with JR as he brings his students and their guests the Gospel.

 

6) I have heard from London that JR gave another clear testimony (he was on the radio yesterday along with Vic Wolf) of the God's power and goodness on the BBC.  I have not been able to locate it on the web, if it is there.

 

7) Pray for Brad Davidson who lost a professor and friend in Kevin Genata, who was an Engineering Science and Mechanics professor.  Pray for Ryan Holloway and several other of our students who were friends with the RA who was killed in West Ambler Johnson, Ryan Clarke.  Pray for Tom Gardner's colleagues in the English Department who taught the murderer, Cho Seung Hui, in their classes, and that Tom could be a witness to them.    If you know of others who are in need of specific prayers for mourning of close friends or colleagues, please let me know.

 

8) Pray also for the murderer's family, living elsewhere in Virginia, and for the Korean community here in Blacksburg, which, due to their culture, feels a sense of collective shame.  I have heard that many Korean Christians tried to reach Cho with the Gospel, but were rebuffed.

 

9) Please continue to pray for Faythe Rittenhouse, who works in Norris and for Haiyan Cheng, recovering the trauma of a close call.  I am not certain, but it is possible that hers was the only classroom involved in which no one was killed or injured.  We praise God for this mercy in the midst of such sorrow.  Her account may be viewed here:

And once again, we praise God all the more that no matter what happened, Haiyan's soul was secure in Jesus' hands.

 

10) I will now contact the VT administration and Campus ministries to let them know that our staff and Vic Wolf are available to help.  I don't know if they will take us up, but we will press until we find an opening somewhere, God willing.  Pray for God to open doors for ministry and for us to be clear, as we should be (see Colossians 4:2-6.  Read it right now and pray that for all of us!).

 

11) I encourage each of you to think hard about anyone you know who may not have any other Christian to talk to about this week's events, and take some time to give them a call and see if they need to talk.  People will be open to talking about things of eternal weight, and are not likely to learn of the grace of Jesus from the mainstreams of information and counseling being made available. 

 

Let us each take a moment right now and ask the Lord to use us as He will to bring the truth and love of Jesus Christ into specific people's lives, so that from this tragedy of death, many might be given the gift of eternal life.  May be it so, Lord Jesus, for you have said:  The thief comes only to steal and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.  I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:10-11).

 

~ Pastor H

Statement Tuesday, April 17th, 2007, 10:00 AM 

from Pastor Chris Hutchinson, pastor of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Blacksburg, VA, :

 

4) As of this point, I do not think we need other ministers to come to Blacksburg to help counsel.  If that changes, we will notify those who have kindly volunteered.
 
5) The Lord blessed the prayer meeting last night (video link) with His presence and ministered to us through His word and prayer.  There are several AP and Roanoke Times photos of the prayer meeting on the web.  One of the photographers told me how powerful the service was.  It ended on a powerful note when the Rev. Keith Allen, of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Blacksburg told us of his email from his archbishop, Emmanuel Koliny of Rwanda, who reminded him of the large-scale massacres in his own country a decade ago, and told us he was praying for Blacksburg.  He then reminded Keith of the African Benediction, which Keith then paraphrased and blessed us with:
 
Minister: All our problems . . .
People: We send them to the cross of Christ!
Minister: All our difficulties . . .
People: We send them to the cross of Christ!
Minister: All the devil's work . . .
People: We send them to the cross of Christ!
Minister: All our hopes . . .
People: We set on the risen Christ!
Minister: Christ, the Son of Righteousness, shine upon you and scatter the darkness from before your path: and the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you, forever and ever. Amen.