Today we’re searching for hope and healing from out of the depths of the Virginia Tech tragedy.
Later in the show, we’ll travel to Blacksburg, Virginia, and meet some of the people deeply affected by the massacre.
We’ll speak with a bereavement specialist for her insights into
the impact such devastation has on those involved, as well as on the
broader community.
We’ll also visit with a counselor who is working with churches
and social service agencies to create circles of care around people
with complex needs, including those who suffer under the burden of
mental illness.
Ironically, it was not long after the sun came up—on Monday,
April 16, 2007—that the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg,
Virginia descended into darkness. A lone gunman, with a grudge against
the world, had determined this would be the day to seek his revenge.
At 7:15 that morning, 23-year-old Virginia Tech student Sung-Wee Cho
- a man with a history of mental illness - shot and killed two
people at a co-ed residence on campus.
He returned to his own room – long enough to mail out a package
to the media, that would later be described as a “multimedia
manifesto.” The package included photos, video clips and an
18-hundred word diatribe. It was a package that would give voice to his
rage from beyond the grave.
Two hours after the first shooting, Cho’s second rampage
began. Armed with two guns and countless rounds of ammunition, he
moved methodically from classroom to classroom in the engineering
faculty’s Norris Hall, mowing down everyone in sight.
It was only when police finally broke through the doors of the
building, that Cho brought an end to the carnage, by turning the gun on
himself.
When the sounds of the guns had silenced, 33 people were dead, including the gunman.
For
almost two decades, Ros Crichton has worked alongside grieving people -
with a specialty in “grief launched by murder”. She’s familiar with
grief. She and her husband co-founded a bereavement support group after
the death of their own daughter Rachelle. Today, Ros gives direction to
the Coping Bereavement Support Groups of Ontario. She is the author of
How to Help Grieving People.
Mark Vander Vennen www.salem.on.ca Exec. Director of the Salem Christian Mental Health Association
(905) 372-9178
Virginia Tech University http://www.vt.edu/
The
killer at Virginia Tech had a history of mental illness – yet he was
still able to function as a university student – until his rage and
paranoia exploded on innocence.
Mark Vander Vennen is in the
business of prevention of such mental health tragedies. He works as the
Executive Director of Salem Christian Mental Health Association.
GUESTS IN BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA
We
go now to the reality faced by those who live on, after the tragedy at
Virginia Tech. With a population of 41,000 - Blacksburg is the
largest town in the state of Virginia, but it has a small town feeling.
In the weeks following the shooting, as townsfolk mourned and buried
their dead, Listen Up went searching for signs of hope and healing.
We’ve
journeyed into the madness of the Virginia Tech shootings, as we
researched the story, and all of us here at Listen Up have felt the
horror and anguish of yet one more senseless crime.
32
innocent people – cut down. With no warning. For no apparent reason.
It’s more than just the scale of the massacre that’s so
heart-wrenching. It’s the apparent randomness of the killings. The loss
of life potential, and the senselessness of it all that compels us to
reach for explanations beyond ourselves. And so we ask, “Why, God?”
But,
God doesn’t give us a “because.” What He does give us—if we’ll let
Him—is Himself, and the assurance that He will be with us whatever
comes, and that He’ll make all things right in the end.
There’s a certain sense of peace and rest that comes with knowing the Creator of the universe is in control.
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Read Lorna's Globe & Mail columns by searching
our archive.
Read 'Media & The Message'. Lorna says if the church wants to impact society, we need to share our stories.
On April 30, 2005 Lorna was privileged to receive an honorary Doctorate of Christian Ministries from Canada's largest Christian university, Trinity Western University. Lorna was recognized for the witness and leadership that Listen Up TV has provided in public messaging: "a leader in the voice of evangelical life in Canada."
