AWARE
At this hour, CEN can confirm 19 children and two teachers as well as the suspected gunman were killed in a mass shooting incident at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. The gunman has been identified as Salvador Ramos who acted alone, according to authorities. While details are still unfolding, it is very clear that the fast action of law enforcement and first responders on campus confronted with the Assailant acted swiftly and without delay to preserve life and further serious injury!
CEN calls upon our partners to pray for all of those who have been affected by this tragedy.
Our prayers for the children involved, their parents, and the teachers and administrative staff of the school will be constant for their physical health and their mental health as this story unfolds. We also grieve with the families who lost loved ones in this horrific incident. May Jesus be their comfort and strength.
Romans 8: 38-39 “For I am sure the neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ESV
LORD our God Almighty, our Maker who loves us with an everlasting love, together we bless You for Your Word is so rich for every circumstance, every assurance, every instruction to lead, comfort, teach and bring us into knowledge of You and Your ways towards Your creation. This passage is a pinnacle of reassurance, nourishing our belief and experience of You. Even in the midst of chaos in the world, You stand unchanging working and reigning in the earth despite what circumstances arise. No enemy, no pain, no thing in any form can remove Your love for us in and through Jesus the Christ—whose blood has overcome and paid the price for us all—once and for all. AMEN
READY
While every parent, guardian, and other adult relatives of children in school wishes that the school was a safe place to learn and grow, schools remain threatened and vulnerable. We are ever mindful we live in a fallen world, and we must be ever vigilant for threats to our safety, security, and wellbeing.
Parents and teachers need to ensure children are educated in an age-appropriate fashion to the various threats that directly confront them. If your school does not have a plan on how to handle unwanted people on campus, or a system that encourages the children, in an age-appropriate way, to report on things they hear from their peers which may turn into violence, CEN partner CPPS provides the SafeSchools Tiered Approach which meets this urgent need.
THERE
You may not be able to go to Texas to pray, care and share Christ with these survivors, but CEN National Share Officer Dr Ed Smith in Texas will be providing chaplaincy during the response. He needs your support to be THERE with these families not just tomorrow but for many days and often years to come.
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