First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs – Update

Prepared by: Pat Dziuk, Restoration Committee Chairman

Date: 3/28/2018

Below is an update of activities undertaken since the November 5, 2017 shooting incident at the
Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church. While not exhaustive or all inclusive, hopefully it will provide
some insight into the progress made, the current status of activities and the magnitude of efforts going
forward.

Before proceeding, I would like to thank the thousands of well-wishers and donors, along with
the numerous private groups, companies and public agencies that have so generously provided their
prayers, well-wishes, donations, labor and support for the victims and congregation in Sutherland
Springs. May God pour out His abundant blessings on you.

Church Services:

Since the shooting the Church has not missed a Sunday Service. In the early weeks we met in a
tent, but have since put a temporary worship building in place. Funds for the building were provided by
our insurance carrier. This building is serving us well and will be in place until a new Sanctuary and
Education building are constructed. Attendance at Church services has been good and new members
are routinely being added to the Church rolls. We continue to enjoy visitors from far and wide who
come to support our congregation and participate in our services. In addition, we also meet on
Thursday evenings and Sunday evenings for bible study and prayer.

Church Administration:

A large number of the Church leaders died or were severely injured as a result of the tragedy
and will be greatly missed. However, the Church is moving forward and people are being put in place to
support its ministries and activities.

Prior to the shooting the Church had one full time employee, the pastor. We have received
support from the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention to provide for his salary and also to provide
secretarial help due to the large increase in activity that resulted after November 5th. The Church has
also elected a new Treasurer and commissioned the Restoration Committee to assist with a wide variety
of items needed to move the Church forward after the tragedy. Other volunteers and workers have
been put in place to support nursery activities, youth ministry, etc.

Land Acquisition:

It has long been the desire of the Church to acquire an adjacent property, but the Church was
never in a financial position that would allow it to do so. This was particularly the dream of one of the
victims that is deceased as a result of the shooting. She said that one day the Church would own the
property and that it would be given not purchased.

The Church recently acquired the two parcels of property that lie between the existing church
facilities and Highway 87. The generosity of many people including the previous owner (Sutherland
Associates, Ltd., who donated their equity in the property), the Engineering firm (Pape Dawson, donated
surveying services), the title company (My Title Company, donated their services) and a large donation
by the Rebuilding Sutherland Springs organization (founded by Brad Beldon, provided funds to retire the
property debt). The property is now owned by the Church, debt free. Thank you for making her
prayers a reality.

Facilities:

Refer to the recent announcements regarding new facilities.

No decision has yet been made as to the future of the old sanctuary. This will be decided in a
future business meeting of the Church membership. In the meantime, the old Sanctuary has been
converted into a memorial area that is staffed by volunteers that are graciously giving their time and
energy to support those who visit.

Donations:

The Church has been blessed with donations of many kinds including monetary donations,
artwork, crafts and stuffed animals. The non-monetary donations are normally being distributed to
victims or their families. Monetary donations have been received in essentially two avenues, directly
and by mail.

Direct donations normally are received either by Church staff or they have been placed in the
Tithe Columns that are in the Memorial or in the Sanctuary. Funds that were designated for relief
efforts have been deposited into a bank account separate from the Church’s general fund and are being
used to provide victim support.

Due the extremely large volume of mail received after the incident (some of which contained
donations), a Lockbox operation was employed to process the mail. This service was donated by Amegy
bank. Mail received by the Church was forwarded to their location for processing. If funds were
received in a letter, Amegy made the deposit into a holding account and also recorded pertinent
information about the donation. Cards and other well wishes were returned back to the Church so the
congregation could view and pray over them.

Given the large number of transactions, we are still working through the sorting of these
donations, but as with the direct donations mentioned above, these funds are being held in an account
separate from church operating funds.
Victim Support:

The Church, along with other entities, has been active in supporting victims and victim’s families
since the tragedy. We organized a meeting between victims and key support groups like the District
Attorney’s office (for the Texas Crime Victim Fund), or Church Mutual (our Insurance carrier) and with
the HEB Spirit of Giving Foundation. Each group described the types of things they could assist with and
victims were able to obtain contact and application information. While all of these groups are
independent of the Church, each has provided direct support to victims.

Requests have also been made directly to the Church for assistance. Requests for assistance
have normally been received by email, text or in direct conversations with the affected parties. A form
for assistance is being implemented to help formalize the request procedure and ensure accurate
documentation. Funds are provided on a needs basis. We feel obligated to our donors to utilize their
donations in a prudent manner.

To date, where needs have been shown, the Church has provided funds to assist with items like:

• Home modifications/construction to enhance access (for mobility impaired).

• Medical Supplies and Equipment
• Legal fees
• Mortgage Payments
• Utility bills
• Phone bills
• Travel Assistance
• Car Repairs / Car Insurance
• AC/Heating Repair
• Gas and groceries
• Dumpster to assist with the cleaning out of a residence (for the family of a deceased victim)
• Property Taxes

However, not all requests have been monetary in nature. Working with agencies like the Southern
Baptists of Texas Convention, we have arranged counseling for a number of individuals. For families
that have had legal or financial questions, we have been able to point them to firms that offered their
services free of charge. We’ve arranged work crews to help clean out buildings, clear trees, do yard
work, etc. In short, we have tried hard with limited personnel to support and love on those that are
going through this tough time.

Conclusion:

As you can see, this small church, with the support of many, has made tremendous progress in moving
forward after the tragedy and continues to minister to the needs many. Despite Satan’s best efforts, the
First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs remains a vibrant place of ministry, fellowship and worship.
Are we perfect? By no means. But we love the Lord and look forward to the day when there will be no
sorrow or tears and we are made perfect in Christ and can join those that are already in His presence.