CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 1, 2019 – Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains are on-site in Virginia Beach, Va., where a public works employee shot and killed 12 people, injuring six more. News reports indicate that the gunman, who was a current city employee, has also died.
“When it seems to be the darkest hour in our lives we have to remember those are the times God can be the brightest and give us hope in life situations that seem to be hopeless,” said Jack Munday, international director of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team. “We’re going to be there to minister to those directly impacted as well as the community at large, and help local churches in their response to share God’s hope in each of their communities.”
The deployment to Virginia Beach marks the third shooting-related deployment in May. The previous deployments were just miles from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association headquarters at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and in Mooresville, N.C. following the line-of-duty death of K-9 Ofc. Jordan Sheldon.
Chaplains are also currently deployed to various locations in the Midwest following an outbreak of tornadoes and flooding that struck across the region over the last few weeks including: Tulsa, Okla.; Dayton, Ohio; Jefferson City, Mo.; and Wayne County, Mich.
For more information on the ministry, including videos, photos, news articles and an interactive map of former and current deployments, visit www.billygraham.org/rrt. Updates can also be found at www.facebook.com/RRTChaplains.
About the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team was developed by Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It has since grown into an international network of chaplains in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia who are specifically trained to deal with crisis situations. They have deployed to more than 300 disaster sites, including shootings, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes
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Media Contact:
Erik Ogren
(704) 401-2117
eogren@bgea.org