ELCA NEWS SERVICE
April 22, 1999
ELCA RESPONDS TO LITTLETON, COLO. SCHOOL TRAGEDY
99-109-JB
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:
Editors: When listing organizations receiving funds for aid to survivors
of major disasters inside the United States, Puerto Rico or the U.S.
Virgin Islands, please include:
Lutheran Disaster Response
P.O. Box 71764
Chicago, IL 60694-1764
800-638-3522
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
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