By Matt Payne
A man shot and killed two parishioners Sunday morning during a church service at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement.
Today’s online editorial lineup was to include restaurant openings and culture news — what we city magazines do best. That was before yesterday afternoon when a gunman shot and killed two churchgoers at the West Freeway Church of Christ before being shot and killed himself by a volunteer security team.
It’s hard to imagine a place of worship — where people go for comfort and to set a moral foundation — becoming something akin to a warzone, and it’s even harder to imagine this taking place in our community. Those of us who know and love Fort Worth wonder how such a heinous act could happen here. Since moving to this city, it has routinely impressed me with its friendliness, openness, and nurturing ways; and I won’t allow Sunday’s act to shatter my impression of this beautiful town.
As a lifestyle magazine, we’re in a precarious position when such tragedies occur. Do we cover it? If we do, what do we say? This was the first thing we addressed on this Monday morning, and we decided we cannot remain quiet while the city we cover suffers the effects of unfortunate events.
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It is our hope that you take this as a reminder of the greatness of our city — its people, its businesses, its places of worship, and its constant desire to improve. After hearing news of the shooting from our publisher, I have seen strong reactions to the tragedy that become vitriolic when relating it to our country’s current political climate. Now is not the time to be divided over guns or God but, instead, to put all differences aside and grow as a community.
In a perfect display of our city’s resilience, the West Freeway Church of Christ will complete its Sunday services Monday night, according to CNN; a prayer vigil will also take place outside of the church at 6 p.m. (check back for more details).
While this tragedy has been heartbreaking and earth-shattering, it has not created any cracks in our love for this community.
