ELCA Responds to Littleton, Colo. School Tragedy

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Pastors, disaster response experts and volunteers with Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) congregations and organizations are responding to a variety of community needs in Littleton, Colo., following the worst school-shooting incident in American history.
Pastors in Littleton area ELCA congregations reported they've heard from people throughout the church, offering encouragement and support. All said they were gratified by the enormous ELCA response.
The shootings and bombings April 20 at Columbine High School left 14 students and one teacher dead and several others injured. Among the most seriously injured was Anne Marie Hochhalter, a 17-year-old junior and a member of Christ Lutheran Church, an ELCA congregation in Highlands Ranch, Colo. Hochhalter, who was shot in the chest, was listed in critical condition the day after the shootings, said her pastor, the Rev. David J. Jensen. She remained hospitalized at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood. Hochhalter's brother, a freshman at the school, escaped uninjured, said Jensen.
The family appears to be holding up well under the circumstances, said Jensen.
"You allow for silence and you listen," he said of his conversations with the family. "You remind them of a God whose light pierces the darkness. You remind them of a congregation holding a prayer vigil. That seems to mean a lot to them."
One of the alleged gunmen, Dylan Klebold, 17, and his family were members of St. Philip Lutheran Church, Littleton, until about five years ago, said the Rev. Donald G. Marxhausen, pastor. Since the incident, Marxhausen has been trying to contact the family through police. The family issued a statement the day after the shooting, apologizing for what happened and saying they were trying to understand why it happened.
"Our church will try to care for them at this time. They need to know we love them, too," said Marxhausen. He said he'll respond to the family's needs including performing a funeral for Dylan, if requested. There are about 25 Columbine students who are members at St. Philip, Marxhausen said. None were killed or injured.
St. Philip hosted a special worship service the night of the shootings and arranged for teens and parents to meet at the church and talk with trained counselors. The Rev. Scott K. Beebe, Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit, Littleton, assisted with services and counseling at St. Philip, Marxhausen said. Holy Spirit is in another part of town and had few members at the school.
The day after the shootings, Marxhausen spoke at an ecumenical worship service at a Roman Catholic Church and urged worshipers to reach out to one another.
"God raises up," Marxhausen said he told the worshipers. "That's the Easter message. I believe that with all my heart."
"There's more pain out there than one would ever imagine, but there's more grace out there than anyone would ever believe," Marxhausen said of his experience following the shootings.
On the day of the shootings, the Rev. Robert Barger, Abiding Hope Lutheran Church, Littleton, was among those waiting outside the school to meet students and faculty as they escaped. He provided his cell phone to students so they could contact their parents. The Rev. David Palma-Ruwe, associate pastor, stayed with parents waiting to meet their children at a nearby elementary school.
"We're all numb," Barger said. "They're all our kids."
Abiding Hope held a special worship service and provided counseling services to students and parents, he said.
"Our most important focus is caring for people in our congregation and setting up services for people in the community," Barger said. "We've been through what nobody else ought to go through."
"The next step is for these kids to go back into that school," said the Rev. Diane Martinson-Koyana, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Littleton. "That's going to be very hard." Three Holy Trinity members were students at Columbine High School, and none were killed or injured, she said. The congregation provided opportunities for people to meet, talk and pray about the tragedy.
"When such unspeakable evil overwhelms us, we can only claim the grace and power of Christ alive among us," said the Rev. Allan C. Bjornberg, bishop of the ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod. "How is it possible that our children should kill our children? The whole Denver community is reeling from the shootings."
Bjornberg praised Littleton-area pastors for their "great work."
In the coming days and weeks, "I will gather pastors in the area to talk about this, to debrief and to help those pastors on the front lines," Bjornberg said. Bjornberg added that he appreciated the help of Lutheran Family Services of Colorado, a social ministry organization, which provided crisis counselors.
The synod is using its Web site, www.rmselca.org, to post updated information on the response to the tragedy.
In Chicago, the Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, said congregations, pastors and members of the ELCA are praying for all families affected.
"Many congregations are seeking to be safe havens, providing places where all children can be free from fear and violence," he said. "The psalmist says, 'I lift my eyes to the hills -- from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."
ELCA and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) congregations have been affected in a variety of ways by the incident, said the Rev. Gilbert B. Furst, director, Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR), a cooperative ministry of the ELCA and LCMS. LDR is working with Lutheran Family Services of Colorado to provide help and resources to congregations and the community, he said.
"Once again, the hearts of America are shocked and turned to sorrow by another school massacre," Furst said. "Once again, a senseless act of violence has left a community, if not the entire country, in grief and mourning, doing soul-searching and self-examination."

DOMESTIC DISASTERS:
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Lutheran Disaster Response
P.O. Box 71764
Chicago, IL 60694-1764
800-638-3522

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