The Light Shines On: An Update of "Night of Tragedy Dawning of Light: The Wedgwood Baptist Shootings"

By Dr. Dan R. Crawford

On September 15, 1999, a lone gunman entered a church youth rally, shot dozens of rounds of ammunition, and killed seven people before shooting himself. This book is the official record of the tragedies and victories of that night and the days that followed. The story was originally told in the book, "Night of Tragedy, Dawning of Light,&quo

• Language: English
• Publisher: Worldwide Publishing Group
• Release date: Jul 26, 2019
• ISBN: 9781684118526

Dr. Dan R. Crawford

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor, Southwestern Baptist Seminary, Author of "Night of Tragedy Dawning Light: and author or compiler of nineteen other books. Dale Braswell, Lead Pastor, Wedgwood Baptist Church, Fort Worth, TX.

Book preview

Dedication

This book is dedicated to Debbie Gillette, Pastoral Ministry Assistant, Wedgwood Baptist Church, wife of the first police officer on the scene, mother of a teen-ager seated on the front row, mother-in-law of one of the wounded, and minister to thousands over the past twenty years since the shooting.

Inscription on the monument at the front entrance to Wedgwood Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas

Author’s Preface to the

Updated Book

The original book, Night of Tragedy Dawning of Light, was a record of the tragedies and victories of Wednesday, September 15, 1999, and the days following. It was a story of ordinary people with an extraordinary God, and of a church that was found faithful. It was, above all, a story of the Wedgwood Baptist Church shooting and its aftermath—a night of tragedy, a dawning of light.

The first significant event of that day for me, was lunch with a former student, and present Seminary staff member. He had been asked to speak at the Adult Prayer Meeting that evening by Pastor Al Meredith, who was returning from the funeral of his mother. He wanted to go over his notes with me. Since I had already heard his message, I opted to arrive later at the church that evening, just to observe the See You at the Pole activities. As I was in the process of leaving the house the Breaking News of the shooting came on the TV, at the same time as the ringing of the telephone. The call was from my wife, telling me she was in a home, across the street from the church, with our granddaughter, and that they had successfully escaped from the shooting. However, her car was parked in the area of the emergency vehicles, so could I come and get them. I did so, then went back to the church and Bruce Shulkey Elementary School (across the street) for most of the remainder of the night.

The story behind the writing of the first book, "Night of Tragedy Dawning of Light" is a long and complex one. I felt the book needed to be written, and that I was the one to write it. A conference with the Pastor and a subsequent church vote, affirmed my feelings. However, I was still fully employed on the faculty of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary as well as currently serving as Interim Pastor of a church in East Texas, which involved much week-end travel. As I was telling God all the reasons why I didn’t have time to write the book, a ten-day, November trip with the International Mission Board to Turkey, was postponed until the spring. In ten days, the first book was written, involving over one hundred personal interviews, much prayer, a few counseling sessions, plus agonizing writing sessions. When I saw my copy of the printed book, I had difficulty recognizing some of the contents, as being my writing. It was my assurance, that God wrote the book, using me as an instrument.

When the church began to discuss plans for a twenty-year anniversary, I knew immediately, that the book must be updated. For twenty years, I have observed and participated in the painful, post-shooting days/years of Wedgwood Baptist Church, even co-authoring a book with Pastor Al Meredith for the fifth anniversary of the shooting ("One Anothering: Praying Through Challenges Together"). I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly faces of trauma, and post trauma. I had sensed it was time for an update – told by the very people who were most closely impacted by the events of September15, 1999. The twentieth anniversary seemed like the perfect time for such an update. So, asking God to once again, use me as an instrument, we set out to find people who needed to contribute to the book, many of whom, we had not communicated with in years. We were able to contact seventy-five people, forty-six of whom shared their updated testimony. Surely, there are others, who could have contributed, but were unable to be notified in time for the opportunity.

The first portion of this book is a review of the events of September 15, 1999, - "A Night of Tragedy, and the days immediately following and includes a reprint of the original book’s Prelude, Chapters 1, 2, and 3. Chapter 4 of this book includes portions of Chapter 7 from the original book. Chapter 5, the heart of this book, will focus on The Dawning of Light and through multiple testimonies, show that The Light Shines On." Chapter 6 is a word about the future of Wedgwood Baptist Church from the current Lead Pastor, Dale Braswell. Special appreciation to Joanne Crawford and Debbie Gillette for proofreading the updated version of this book.

My sincere thanks to those who have updated their stories, especially to those whose update includes the loss of a loved one, or the reviewing of personal injury. Their contribution was not easily shared, but they did so with the belief that it must be updated – not for personal gain, nor even for delayed therapy, but that God might be glorified, even in the midst of grief and loss. In the testimonies of these who were so deeply affected by the shooting, yet who for the past twenty years have walked, before God in the light of the living (Psalm 56:13), I pray the reader will see that the light indeed, shines on. So we present this updated book, "The Light Shines On," with a prayer not only that God would be glorified, but that readers would be reminded that God is indeed faithful, in both the best and the worst of times.

Dr. Dan R. Crawford, Senior Professor, Southwestern Baptist Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas; Member of Wedgwood Baptist Church; Author of Night of Tragedy Dawning of Light

Prelude

The Powers of Darkness and the Power of Light

"Even the Darkness Will Not Be Dark to You" (Ps. 139:12, NIV)

In the early morning press conference of September 16, 1999, Wedgwood pastor Dr. Al Meredith would quote these lines from the apostle Paul to describe the broken, yet hopeful members of Wedgwood Baptist Church:

We have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. (2 Cor. 4:7-10)

While we did not have answers to many of the why questions, we did have the answer to some of them.

Why was the Wedgwood faith so strong?

Why was Satan defeated on Wednesday evening?

Why do Wedgwood members testify in times of tragedy?

Why forgive the gunman?

. . . because even though the light is darkened by the clouds (Isa.5:30), we know what the Old Testament prophet Micah knew: When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me (Micah7:8). We testify with John, The lights shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (John1:5). We say to those who walk in darkness, if you knew Who we know, you’d understand why we do what we do. While we are only earthen vessels—fragile clay pots—we are filled with the manifest presence of the light of the world, Jesus Christ. We are people of the light. Yet still there is darkness and how strongly we feel it. While the purpose of this book is not to glorify the darkness, this story cannot be told without acknowledging its influence. What happened at Wedgwood Baptist Church on September15, 1999, may well have begun as something else, but it quickly escalated into full-blown spiritual warfare. The powers of darkness and the power of light collided in the buildings at the corner of Walton and Whitman avenues in southwest Fort Worth.

As Satan journeyed through the suburbs of Fort Worth, he came upon Wedgwood, a mostly quiet subdivision of approximately 12,000 people developed from a 1200-acre cattle ranch in the 1950s. Three generations of families have lived in what has been described as one of the safest and nicest areas of Fort Worth. The average length of residence is twelve years. The surrounding subdivisions, from which Wedgwood Baptist Church also draws members, are strikingly similar. Many of the teen-agers present at the rally on September 15 were students at nearby Southwest High School and Wedgwood Middle School. Others were from schools in surrounding communities.

When Satan took a look that day at Wedgwood Baptist Church, he saw a growing suburban church of more than 2400 members. Before Dr. Al Meredith became pastor twelve years ago, the church had been without a pastor for seventeen months and had declined in membership. Today the church sprawls over half a city block, and a new community life center is under construction. Located approximately four miles from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wedgwood is the church for many students and several faculty and staff members.

Having observed the Wedgwood community and one of its churches, the enemy ventured to the east a few miles and found one whom he could use, a troubled man filled with anger and disappointment—one who in his earlier days as a member of the Junior High Preacher Boys’ Class at the Glen Garden Church of Christ in Fort Worth would not likely have been a candidate for Satan’s schemes. Now, however, in his confusion he was vulnerable to the temptations of the evil one. A disturbed man was available to disturb men.

We believe the gunman, in his emotional state, did what under better circumstances he would not have done. Out of respect for his family and the families of the victims, his name will be mentioned only once in this