The Rev. Kevin Burkholder was heartbroken when he heard that a gunman had walked into an elementary school and opened fire, killing 20 children and six adults.
The anguish became his impetus to pray for the children, families and community directly affected by the shootings, nearly 500 miles away at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn.
“As a parent, I identified with the tragedy. I just couldn’t imagine getting a call or being told about my child being killed in an elementary school,” said Burkholder, pastor at Goss Memorial Church in Akron’s Kenmore neighborhood. “Throughout my continued prayer for the Newtown community, I felt a need to do something more.”
In reading a magazine article, Burkholder learned of a church near Newtown — Walnut Hill Community Church in Bethel, Conn. — that was working to provide support to the community. He felt an urge to reach out to the church, explaining that he was praying for them.
That email, sent shortly after the Dec. 14, 2012 mass murder, was the first step in building a relationship with the Rev. Adam DePasquale, pastor of regional development at Walnut Hill.
This weekend, DePasquale will visit Akron to share his experience of working to bring comfort, hope and healing to the Newtown community and to encourage people to believe that God is present in times of grief and trauma.
DePasquale said it is appropriate that his visit to the local church occurs on Palm Sunday — the day that marks the beginning of Holy Week, events leading to the death of Jesus.
On Palm Sunday, Christians commemorate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Biblical accounts record the arrival of Jesus riding into the city on a donkey, while crowds spread their cloaks and palm branches on the street and shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David” and “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” to honor him as their long-awaited Messiah. It is also a time to reflect on the final week of Jesus’s life, as Christians prepare for the agony of his Passion and the joy of his Resurrection.
“Many who celebrated the coming of the Messiah had in their minds one perspective: They expected their Messiah to be a great political and military leader. But Jesus was not the warrior king that they expected. He had come to defeat sin and death, not Rome. Yet, in the end, God’s plan was fulfilled,” DePasquale said. “All of us are going to experience grief and trauma. But even in tragedy, we need to trust in the lord and recognize that he’s going to fulfill his perfect plans and promises, even when — especially when — we don’t fully understand his plan.”
DePasquale said he hopes to share that while it was difficult to walk through the trauma and grief of the Sandy Hook tragedy, God has played a major role in healing the community.
“When we trust God, we have more sure-footing when tragedy and trauma occur. We still have to struggle with hard questions and concerns, but we cannot be afraid of tragedy and grief,” DePasquale said. “We have to find ways to walk through grief with confidence and be able to stare at tragedy and have hope in God.”
Rally, sermon planned
DePasquale and Burkholder will attend a “Stop the Violence Rally” at 5 p.m. today at First Glance youth center, 943 Kenmore Blvd.
They will join forces to deliver a sermon at Goss Memorial’s 10:30 a.m. worship service Sunday. DePasquale will share his experience during a special program called “Where is God in the Darkness” at 6 p.m. at the church, 2247 11th St. SW.
In addition to praying with families who lost children at Sandy Hook Elementary, staff at DePasquale’s church established a relief fund to help with the costs of counseling and school needs, offered public forums and provided space for memorial services.
“Difficult things, like the traumatic situation in Newtown, will sometimes keep people away from God. We want people to understand that Jesus is willing to go into the mess and be there, right alongside of people when they’re going through the tragedy,” Burkholder said. “We see people struggling every day and they want to know how to move forward. We hope to provide some answers to that question that will help people come out on the other side of their tragedy stronger and healthier.”
For more information about DePasquale’s visit and Goss Memorial Church, call 330-745-5038 or go to www.gosschurch.org.
Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com. She can be followed at www.twitter.com/ColetteMJenkins.