Rev. Gerald Krauss has been comforting community members at his church, New Life Assembly, in the days since a shooting at the local high school in Tumbler Ridge, B.C.JESSE WINTER/The Globe and Mail
Dozens of youth sat inside the dimly lit sanctuary of New Life Assembly in Tumbler Ridge.
They held on to each other or quietly reflected while stories were shared of the children killed days earlier in a mass shooting that has rocked the small British Columbia town.
Some of those children had attended New Life, which hosted the open house Thursday to provide a place for members of the grief-stricken community to talk openly.
White light spilled in from windows at the front of the church where a large cross was illuminated in blue. Further back, a shadow draped over the seated group.
Leading the improvised service was Rev. Gerald Krauss. The long-time pastor has become a steady shoulder for the grieving community to lean on, meeting and praying with families who lost loved ones, and opening his church doors to those seeking solace. For nearly 20 years, he has been providing spiritual leadership to Tumbler Ridge.
Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a vigil to honor the victims of the shooting in Tumbler Ridge.PAIGE TAYLOR WHITE/AFP/Getty Images
On Friday night, Mr. Krauss joined Prime Minister Mark Carney, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and other political leaders on the steps of town hall for a vigil attended by more than 1,000 people. Speaking of his own experience of losing his youngest daughter last year, who died from complications after childbirth, Mr. Krauss said the community must find strength in one another.
“It’s a difficult time, so let’s pull together,” he said.
Whether people are members of his congregation or not, Mr. Krauss said, he wants to support the community. Inside his church on Thursday, he walked down each row of the chapel, giving everyone, including parents and community leaders, an opportunity to share their thoughts.
Many shook their heads no, but some, between tears and shaky hands, spoke about the children who had been killed.
One attendee requested that they play Dancing in the Sky, an emotional ballad about grief. Within moments, there were muffled cries. “Tell me, what does it look like in heaven? Is it peaceful? Is it free like they say?” the song began. “’Cause here on Earth, it feels like everything good is missing since you left. And here on Earth, everything’s different.”
A community vigil at a makeshift memorial at the Tumbler Ridge town hall, three days after one of the worst mass shootings in recent Canadian history.Jennifer Gauthier/Reuters
On Tuesday, when Mr. Krauss got the alert about an active shooter, his first reaction was disbelief: “I thought, really? In Tumbler Ridge?” Soon, the wail of sirens confirmed the worst.
Once the instructions to stay inside were lifted, Mr. Krauss and his wife, Tracy Krauss, who co-pastors New Life Assembly with him, headed to the nearby community centre. That’s where students from the school had been taken after the shooting, and where parents were searching for their children.
“Some parents were finding their children, and some were not,” Mr. Krauss said.
He and his wife were among those who stayed out in the community until 4 a.m., comforting families whose children never arrived.
Tracy Krauss, co-pastor at New Life Assembly.Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press
In the days since, Mr. Krauss has had countless conversations with community members, urging people to come together in unity, not division.
Mr. Krauss said the shooter did not attend the church, but he knows her extended family, who, while grieving themselves, have also faced threats of harm. “It’s a beautiful town, and now it’s all changed,” he said. “This isn’t who we are.”
At the end of the service, Mr. Krauss urged the young people to not give into anger or hate, but to spread love even when they don’t feel it themselves. “Lord, I pray that You would transform their hearts and transform their minds to be people who love each other and are kind people,” he prayed.
The pastor has been on his feet non-stop since Tuesday but doesn’t see himself slowing down.
“We’re going to be there tomorrow morning at 8 o’clock and start over.”
Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press