We Are First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas

According to the latest reports, at least 26 people are dead, including the pastor’s 14-year-old daughter.

Many more are wounded.

Families are devastated. The small community is in shock.

My words are not adequate.

But these things I will do:

  • I will pray. I will pray for the families of those killed and wounded. I will pray for the church. I will pray for the community. I will pray for Pastor Frank Pomeroy as he leads and comforts his congregation in the midst of his own grief. I will pray for the shooter’s family.
  • I will trust God for His comfort, His promise, and His guidance for those affected.
  • I will pray for the gospel of Jesus Christ to be magnified in this tragedy.
  • And I will embrace in spirit the members of First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs. I will identify with my brothers and sisters in Christ.

We are First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs.

We are your brothers and sisters in Christ.

We pray for you. We care for you. We love you.

Please, readers, join me in sharing your own prayers and love for this church and all those impacted by this tragedy.

Posted on November 6, 2017


With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
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140 Comments

  • This is a difficult time for the community but it definitely is a time where we can come together and pray together. Challenging times will test your faith and it will improve your resiliency. May we all help each other in this difficult time.

  • Church shooting, Nov. 2017
    The Prophets of old often spoke harshly to the people. But, I know that every word they spoke, came from the love of the Father in Heaven. Discipline comes from love, tolerance comes from indifference. If I did not care, I would remain in my own safety, serving my Elohim in silence.
    Our Creator often uses a contrite heart to appeal to. A contrite heart is more open to hearing the truth. The following is what I saw, the very moment I saw the news, in the hour of your calamity. I wanted to write this at that very moment, but YHWH said to wait. Wait until the shock of what you all went through has diminished, but before your hearts close up again.
    I know, you must be asking ‘Why’ did your god allow this to happen, in his house, on your day of worship? Our Creator promised protection to His faithful.
    I recall the truth being demonstrated by the Prophet Eliyahu, when he gathered all the ‘black robed priests of Ba’al’, and had the people call on him. He never answered, he had no power, as if he did not even exist. Because, he doesn’t exist except in the minds of men!
    The sun is the deity of the gentiles. The people of Kana’an worshipped this god. The monument to Ba’al, was, and still is, the obelisk. Many lesser gods serve this Ba’al and are also considered ‘sun-gods’, one of which was the pagan sun-god Tammuz. The monument to Tammuz was, and still is, the cross. These are nothing but sticks of wood, stone, gold and or silver, made with the hands of men. This was FORBIDDEN the people of our Creator. This Ba’al was the god that the Jews had fallen to following. Eliyahu’s teaching was short-lived. They soon returned to following Ba’al and you were led to Ba’al through Paul.
    You all rejected the True Elohim of all the Earth, because of what you thought was too harsh a Law, so you rejected His Torah too.
    But the Elohim of all the Earth, is the Elohim that is the Judge of all the Earth and it is His Torah, that He will judge all men by.
    The Scriptures speak of all this. But you refuse to accept what was written before Paul. Paul brought you to this ‘unknown god’. That is proof of what I am saying. YHWH was NOT unknown at the time of Mashiach, and at the time paul started his false teaching. I refer to Debarim (deut.) chapter 13, the very description of a false teacher.
    The name by which you refer to your god, is an insult to the True Elohim of all the Earth. YHWH said to call on His Name, and He commanded us ‘not to speak the names of the gods of the nations of the world. The word god is a generic term for the thousands upon thousands of deities that do not even really exist. Did you know, the word ‘lord’ is the English word for ba’al? go ahead and look it up in your Strong’s or BDB concordances.
    Christianity is calling and serving a worthless pagan deity, you rejected the Truth 2000 years ago. GET BACK TO THE ‘MILK’. You have built on sand, not on the solid foundation of the Word of YHWH, the solid foundation is the ‘Word’, and His ‘Word’ being ‘The Torah’. The Word made flesh.
    “Not one jot or tittle will change from the Torah till Heaven and Earth disappear.”
    So, who is the liar? Mashiach, said His Word would never pass away. But Paul does just that, he claims that: (in your words) ‘christ is the end of the law’. But the words of Mashiach prove him wrong. It was Christianity that nailed the ‘Forever’ covenant of the Torah, to a pagan stick of wood, that you bow down to every week, and pray, before a stick of wood. That wood cannot walk, talk, or protect you, it cannot hear your prayers. YHWH does not want anything at all between you and Himself. He even removed the veil that separated us when the jews murdered the Author of Life. And christians murdered Him again when they nailed the Word to a cross, setting aside His Law and doing it in the most insulting way they could, just as the jews had done, hanging Him on a stake; NOT a cross. Hanging a man on a stake was the most shameful way they knew to destroy a man and everything he (He) stood for.
    Christian revivals are a joke! They call on their god to return to them, without the willingness to follow what he is suppose to have taught. Their revivals last from an hour or two to a day perhaps two days, and then they go right back to their weekly depravity of living in and of the world.
    A true revival starts, right now, and NEVER ends. Revival is ‘you’ returning to the true Creator of Heaven and Earth. YHWH is His Name and His ‘only’ Name. YHWH does not come to anyone who does not invite Him and chooses to follow Him, AT ALL TIMES! He stated in His Word, you must turn back to Him, before He turns to you. He knows your heart, better than you. He knows if you are truly sincere in your committing to Him. He enters only those who choose to accept Him, and His Right-rulings, TORAH.
    GET BACK TO THE MILK, YHWSHA Mashiach, He is the Milk, He is the Torah, He is the Foundation of true faith.
    Your christian holidays are pagan feasts mixed with some words of truth. They have altered the times and the commands surrounding the festivals of YHWH, mixing the worship of the nations with them, very much forbidden the Remnant of YHWH. Others are in total defiance of His Word. Christmas is 100% pagan, and has absolutely nothing to do with our Mashiach (Messiah). It is the festival Yirmeyahu rebuked in chapter 10, the worthless tree, and ‘saturnalia’. And also attributing His wonders to pagan deities, like ‘mother nature’, this in itself is a death sentence; ‘serving other mighty ones (gods).
    It seems, christian interpretation of the Scriptures consists of taking everything He said and turning it 180 degrees, to the opposite. There are as many interpretations as there are denominations, all of each denomination accepting the interpretation of one man, over the interpretation of another man. YHWH rebukes these divisions and will destroy them, and those who follow these miss-interpretations will be destroyed with them. This is the strong delusion He promised to those who follow falseness and worthlessness.
    Ignorance of His Law is no excuse. It is written, in what was written before Paul, that each and every one of us is to diligently search the Scriptures to make sure what you are being taught is true. Because He said “trust no man”, diligently seek the Face of YHWH. One hour in a pew each week does not suffice as seeking His face!
    Only the righteous enter Heaven! That is what the Truth states. That is what Mashiach taught. Those ‘sinners’ He associated Himself to, were those who repented of their sins. And that repentance is required, and must be maintained to the end, to ‘overcome’ as He commanded.
    Without His True Spirit, you cannot be righteous. The proof of His indwelling is that we do not sin. He protects us and will ALWAYS provide a way to escape the clutches of sin. but without His Spirit, you are at the mercy of whatever ‘spirit’ may be present, or the evil spirit that can enter where He is not present.
    You are only to blame in having believed the lies and falseness that you inherited from your ‘churchfathers’.
    Wake up before it is too late, His roaring can be heard in the Heavens. The roaring of His approach!
    Those before you have perished and will perish, sad but true. But, as He said, “the truth shall set you free”. And you have been so deceived, His Torah is EASY, only the ‘world’ makes it hard. But He called us out of the ‘world’. And His Torah is THE Law of Freedom.
    I have never been so free as when I ‘yoked’ myself to YHWH. His burden is lightweight and it is Light, there is no darkness, He sets you free. Free of the prison-house of sin, and it still holds true, what He said in the beginning; “sin is crouching at the door, but you must master it”. And when you do, He comes to you. But NOT before!
    We are commanded to be of like-mind. That is impossible, unless you study His Word and apply what it says, not what someone else says is says.
    Sin is death!
    The only way to know what YHWH considers to be sin is to study what is written in His Torah.
    It does not matter what we think about what sin is or isn’t. it only matters what YHWH considers to be sin.
    IGNORANCE IS NOT BLISS
    More at http://www.lambsdenoftruth.com
    Brother Yared, a ‘child of YHWH’, of His Remnant, Yisra’el

  • Doug Miller says on

    Crittenden Baptist Church and I have been and will continue to pray for FBC Sutherland Springs. May God grant you all peace and determination to share the Gospel.

  • Praying for our Brothers and Sisters grief to be short lived as the Lord Jesus is able to lift you all up and bless you. Many prayers to the Lord for you, God bless you.

  • Our hearts are grieved over this, but truly must trust God in all circumstances for His provision, sovereignty and mercy.

    If I may make a suggestion. In addition to praying, Thom, why don’t you do a post on Christians to make their prayers an action and have everyone send a card to the church to encourage the Pastor and the congregation of the church. Also, if everyone enclosed either a $1.00 or $5.00, imagine how much collectively the church would receive if we all did this! This would help with expenses to repair the church building, as well as funeral expenses if the folks cannot afford any. What a way to bless this hurting church with love and encouragement from their brothers and sisters around the globe.

    Thanks for considering!

  • May the service of love, life and truth lead many to salvation through the presence of Christ in you all. May healing, mercy and peace be with the spirit of this church.

  • We have been praying for the church and families involved. Even though we are in England, UK, we are still brothers and sisters in Christ and stand with you. We had a special time of prayer at our Friday morning prayer meeting today for the church.
    Divided by geography, but united in Christ.

  • Naba Kishore Barick says on

    We deeply mourn the death of our dear Brothers and Sisters at First Baptist Church in Sutherland. While we stand beside you at this time of your grief, we pray, may the Lord grant everyone in this congregation His Divine Peace and presence. We have been praying for you and you will sustain in the midst of sorrow, because our Loving Lord is always there for you all.

  • While I normally do not drop links in comment sections, I thought you may want to read this. I wrote this a couple days ago about the shooting. In the article, there is a little prayer for First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs. The article also deals with the kinds of things they must be struggling to pray through right now. The link is below.

    https://jamiefrancis.org/2017/11/08/the-prayers-of-a-devastated-church/

  • Mark Armstrong says on

    St Stephen’s-Moonbi Presbyterian Church in Tamworth, Australia will be praying for The First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs this Sunday. We stand by you in your time of grief and reach out across the ocean with love and concern.

  • Robert Woodyard says on

    We, the West Creek Church family of Batesburg-Leesville, SC, are praying for Sutherland Springs Church.

    • Howard Nelson says on

      As a fellow pastor I can’t begin to imagine the trauma that our brothers and sisters are experiencing but I know that with our prayers in their behalf that our God will and has been comforting them in the aftermath of such a horrible experience. I agree with the Pastor when he said, I don’t understand but I know that God does. In times like these all we can do is fall before our Father for the needed strength and guidance that He will provide. We are praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ because we are them. God knows and God understands.

      Respectfully,

      Pastor Nelson

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