Faith Under Fire

Heart and Soul

The following programme tells the story of a mass shooting in a small church in Sutherland Springs Texas and how it affected the faith of the community and the church's pastor Frank Pomeroy. A warning, there are graphic and potentially upsetting references to the shooting throughout the programme.

As a gun man calmly walked into his church during its normal Sunday service and shot dead 26 of his parishioners, including his 14 year old daughter, Pastor Frank Pomeroy, was absent, miles away from his flock on a course to get a gun license, so he could teach teenagers how to handle firearms responsibly. It was the worst mass shooting in the history of the state of Texas, and gun ownership is one of the most divisive issues in the USA.

Six months on, Pastor Frank talks of how this tragedy has affected his faith, and how the community have been able to keep going. He also tells Colm Flynn about how, as he stands in front of his flock to preach, he has his own concealed weapon while preaching, and how the Bible justifies both him and his congregation being armed. Pastor Frank believes God was there on that fatal day, that the blood spilt was not in vain, but that God will use it to bring about a Christian Revival.

Photo: Memorial to the victims of First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs, Texas/Credit: BBC