LT. COL. DAVE GROSSMAN IS HOSTING HIS OWN SAFETY SEMINAR FOR HOUSES OF WORSHIP.
LT. COL. DAVE GROSSMAN IS HOSTING HIS OWN SAFETY SEMINAR FOR HOUSES OF WORSHIP.
It was Sunday morning, June 22, 1980. The congregation was singing a hymn when the gunman entered. He shouted “This is War,” and then opened fire on the worshipers. Fifteen were shot - five were killed.
On this page you will learn about the tragedy at First Baptist Church of Daingerfield, Texas (134 miles east of Dallas) and the award-winning movie that tells the story…
(PHOTO; First Baptist Church, Daingerfield, Texas. The memorial dedicated to the deceased is in the left bottom corner).
FOR 44 YEARS ... I have had to live with the pain of having watched my 7-year old sister shot to death ... IN A CHURCH … I’m pleading with all of you to attend this conference and learn how to have a fighting chance against these monsters." - Jeff (survivor of a massacre at a house of worship)
Jeff was at church in east Texas - June 22, 1980 - when a gunman entered during the morning worship service, shouted "This is War!," and then shot 15 worshipers - killing five. Jeff's sister, Gina, was among the dead.
“I was only 4-years old when the gunman entered during the morning worship service and began to shoot. I have forgiven the killer, but forgetting is something I will never be able to do." (Jeff)
JEFF IS NOT ALONE IN HIS PAIN ...
Anyone who, like Jeff, has witnessed such horror from having seen an act of violence, understands the pain that comes with it. And it can last a lifetime.
Every day in our country hundreds (thousands?) of our citizens experience the pain and grief that comes from being victimized by violence. And those that die in an act of violence leave behind grieving families and friends.
Some will take their pain to the grave.
This is one of the primary reasons we conduct these conferences: we do not want Jeff’s story to … become your story (or the story of someone in your life).
HE NEVER COULD GET OVER IT.
Russell was only 11-years old when he witnessed the tragedy at the church where Gina was killed. Like Jeff, he was deeply traumatized by the incident.
Russell rushed out the door, and saw the killer lying on the ground across the street. He recognized him as the same man who had given him a dog two weeks earlier.
Five years later, Russell abandoned the church. But what he witnessed that day would never cease to haunt him.
The trauma from the tragedy opened the door for a life time of pain.
Thirty-four years later, Russell took his life.
BLOODSTAINS FROM A VICTIM ...
The photo is from a local newspaper the day after the tragedy. The picture is the church bulletin.
Inside the red circle are bloodstains from one of the victims.
One of the presenters at Colonel Grossman's conference was married in this church three years prior to the tragedy.
An award-winning movie was made about this tragedy.
READ BELOW ABOUT THE MOVIE THAT WAS MADE ABOUT THIS TRAGEDY.
IT CAN BE WATCHED AT NO COST.
The movie Faith Under Fire conveys several messages, one of which is the mark (the trauma) it leaves on those who are victimized by violence (as well as those who are witnesses to violence). Those who are victims of violence (or witnesses of it), often never recover. The terrible effect of violence is the hurt and pain it leaves among its victims. This is a motivating factor as to why we should take seriously the Role of the Protector (or as Col. Grossman would say: the Role of the Sheepdog).
Our goal as Protectors is to exert our best effort with the hope of preventing such pain and grief that comes with tragedy. IF YOU STOP SOMEONE FROM COMMITTING A VIOLENT CRIME, IT IS HIGHLY PROBABLE THAT YOU HAVE SAVED SOMEONE (THE POTENTIAL VICTIM) FROM A LIFETIME OF GRIEF AND SORROW.
Two of the witnesses of this tragedy suffered terribly for many years. One of them lost a sibling, and to this day (44 years later), he is still in therapy. The other one never recovered: Thirty-four years after the tragedy, he committed suicide.
If you're planning on attending this conference, please try and watch the movie beforehand. It can also be watched on Amazon Prime
"FAITH UNDER FIRE" IS AN AWARD-WINNING MOVIE BASED ON THE MASSACRE AT A CHURCH IN EAST TEXAS in 1980.
On Sunday morning, June 22, 1980, an angry gunman entered the sanctuary of First Baptist Church in Daingerfield, Texas. He was armed with two rifles and two handguns. He was wearing two flak jackets and an army helmet.
He had 400 rounds of ammo on his person.
350 people were in the sanctuary. A sense of excitement was in the air - it was the first official Sunday for their new pastor.
As they sang the offertory hymn, the gunman entered through the main door and shouted "This is War!" He then opened fire on the crowd. Fifteen of the worshipers were shot; five were killed.
Faith Under Fire is also the story of God's presence in the midst of suffering. It is a story of a community’s struggle with betrayal, the shock to their faith, and the death of loved ones after a former schoolteacher opened fire during a church service in the summer of 1980.
It is also a tribute to several brave men that raced into the face of gunfire, saving the lives of hundreds of people. Thirty years after that tragic day, survivors share their journey to heal.
Ultimately, Faith Under Fire is a story of faith and hope leading a community out of the depths of despair to the path of forgiveness and restoration and ultimately peace.
VIDEO - The video is news coverage about the Daingerfield tragedy. It's an interview with Norman Crisp, who was pastor of the church at the time. The day of the tragedy - June 22, 1980 - was his first official Sunday. However, he was sick that day and was not able to attend church. He would soon receive a call informing him of the tragedy. The date of the news story (video) is 2023, done by a news station in east Texas.
Six months before the tragedy, when Pastor Crisp served at another church, he had preached a sermon entitled "This is War." Its theme was Spiritual Warfare. Oddly enough, when the killer entered the church, he shouted "This is War!" Pastor Crisp often wondered if the killer (who had been sexually abusing a relative for many years) was at the church that day - and had heard his sermon.
Though he was sick enough to be bedridden the day of the tragedy, when news reached him, he rose up, got dressed, and went in search of the wounded. Needing to make a phone call (no cell phones in those days), he pulled into a bar. Inside, he asked the bartender if he could use the phone. The patrons were quite loud, but when the bartender learned he was the pastor of the church where the tragedy had struck, he turned to the crowd and shouted, "Shut up everyone. This is the pastor of the church where the shooting occurred today."
A holy hush fell on the crowd.
These two men are James "Red" McDaniel (left) and Kennth Truitt (right).
These men were sheepdogs.
McDaniel, a WW2 vetern, charged toward the gunman (his wife had been shot) and forced him out the door (knocking the door off of its hinges). The killer shot McDaniel to death once outside.
Truitt was right behind McDaniel. He confronted the killer outside and was also shot to death.
PHOTO - The front page of a local newspaper.
The movie's creator and producer, Sondra Hicks, spent several years working on the movie.
Jimmy Meeks (one of the speakers at this conference) was a production assistant to Sondra.
Photo: Jimmy kneeling by the memorial outside the church. Jimmy and his wife, Julie, were married at the church three years earlier.
THIS WILL BE THE MOST UNIQUE CONFERENCE I HAVE EVER PARTICIPATED IN!
We will not only learn how to create a "Bulletproof House of Worship," but also how to create a Bulletproof LIFE.
Registration has only been open for a few days, and seats are quickly filling up.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY EMAIL LIST so I can keep you updated on the conference. I will send you an occasional email (not often, though) reminding you about the conference. I'll see you in April!
- Colonel Grossman
CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS: If you need financial assistance, call 817.437.9693
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