After shootings, 'We need to forgive'

At Thursday's service commemorating the victims and survivors of the Kalamazoo shootings, the Battle Creek community remembered their names one by one, by the light of a candle: Mary Jo Nye, Richard Smith, Barbara Hawthorne, Judy Brown, Mary Nye, Tyler Smith, Tiana Carruthers and Abigail Kopf.

But Chapel Hill United Methodist Church's evening service of "reflection and prayer" did not center on pain or grief. It instead emphasized forgiveness, love, community and the unwavering importance of faith and hope during times of tragedy.

Victims of Kalamazoo shootings remembered

Around 90 people gathered at the Battle Creek church Thursday, just five days after eight people were shot in a series of attacks Saturday in Kalamazoo County. Police have arrested 45-year-old Jason Dalton for the shooting spree, which left six dead and two — Kopf and Carruthers — seriously wounded.

During the attacks, Hawthorne, the Nyes and Brown were killed while sitting in a Cracker Barrel parking lot. Smith and his son, Tyler, were killed at the Seelye Kia of Kalamazoo dealership on Stadium Drive.

Mary Jo Nye, Brown and Hawthorne were Battle Creek residents and Nye was an active member of Chapel Hill.

Family have said Carruthers is expected to make a full recovery. Kopf's family say their daughter remains in critical condition but is continuing to show improvement.

Family: Abigail Kopf 'continuing to show improvement'

Dalton faces 16 charges, including six murder counts, two counts of assault with intent to murder and eight counts of felony firearm.

At Thursday's service, attendees heard inspirational speeches and scripture from local church leaders and Battle Creek Mayor Dave Walters.

Chapel Hill Pastor Chad Parmalee began the service, stating that they had come together in a time of grief to find healing and, he hoped, "to instill some hope."

"In the days since the Kalamazoo shootings, as the names and the stories of the victims unfolded, we realized that while Kalamazoo had drawn together around this tragedy immediately, Battle Creek was dramatically affected just as our neighbors were in Kalamazoo," Parmalee told attendees. "...We've come together this evening so that we could begin to process the tragedy we've experienced. Our hope is that as we grieve together, we begin to heal together, and we can find a common sense of hope and inspiration to move forward together in community."

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Mayor Walters said they are not going to allow the "evil deeds" of last weekend to "define who we are as individuals, as a community or as a region."

"Please know that our community will provide whatever assistance we can to the victims, to their families and to those other locations such as Mattawan, Richland and the Kalamazoo area," Walters said.

Lakeview Baptist Church the Rev. Adam Metzger read a Biblical passage about Jesus talking to travelers after his resurrection.

"In the middle of their grief, in the middle of their despair, we see Jesus walking with them," Metzger said. "...Sometimes we think I don't know if anybody, I don't think he's with us, I don't think he's with me and we're kept from recognizing him. But make no mistake, he is with us."

Near the end of the service, Parmalee stood at the podium and said that in all of this, there are victims that we don't name.

"Jason Dalton's family no more expected the violence that they encountered than we did," Parmalee said. "...As hard as it is for us, Jason Dalton numbers among the human beings that have met with tragic circumstances. He will likely never see the outside world again, he will probably be imprisoned for the rest of his life."

"But the same God who breathed life into our lungs, breathed life into his," Parmalee continued. "His life matters. And his wife and his children are suffering all the emotions we're suffering along with embarrassment and humiliation. So I beg you not to leave the Daltons out of your prayers. I think for us we can't find peace unless we include them."

In his parting words, the Chapel Hill pastor invited the crowd to "go in peace."

"I know that the women who passed from this community, the people whose lives were ended tragically, would want this to be the case: For us to go in peace together in community," Parmalee said.

After the service ended, when asked what she gained from the service, Chapel Hill United Methodist Church Administrative Council Chairperson Kathi Hernandez said, "You just realize...you're kind of sharing that same thing so you don't feel so alone."

"You're sharing with the community of other people that feel the same way," Hernandez said.

Chapel Hill Treasurer Diane Lutz said the event was a time for her to start grieving.

"Because I've been so busy with my job and everything, I didn't have time to do that," Lutz said. "So by coming here tonight and hearing what was said and singing the songs that were sung, it just reminds me that God is in every situation, good or bad, and that he's always with us no matter what we're going through and love is the ultimate answer."

"We need to forgive," Lutz continued. "By forgiving, it makes us stronger."

Contact Safiya Merchant at 269-966-0684 or smerchant@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow her on Twitter: @SafiyaMerchant