Pastor Jon Burgess
December 6, 2015 - W1549

On October 1, 2015, in a small community known as Roseburg, Oregon, shots rang out in Snyder Hall on the Umpqua Community College Campus. A 26 year old student by the name of Christopher Harper-Mercer shot and killed 9 people. In one classroom, a young lady and her classmates are suddenly intruded upon by an angry young man toting a gun. She began to get on the floor as she saw him shoot one of the students. She then heard him ask a few students “are you Christian?” and then she heard the thud of a body.

One young man laid beside her and he was instantly shot, but he rolled over her as if to shield her from being shot. He was 6’4” and weighed about 240 lbs. She couldn’t move. The perpetrator walked right by her and told her to stand up. But she couldn’t move so she just laid there and prayed. The blood of the young man on top of her started to bleed all over her as if it was her own, so after getting no response from her, the shooter moved on to the next. Nine people died that day. One was a professor’s assistant.

But a tenth death occurred that day in Snyder Hall on the UCC campus in a quiet little town of Roseburg, Oregon and that was the suicide death of a 26 year old who took the lives of 9 others with him and wounding and terrifying many more.

The young woman, who was literally saved by a somewhat unknowing hero named Treven Anspach, is the daughter of Pastor Randy Scroggins of New Beginnings Church of God.

Pastor Randy Scroggins:

“We will not be defined around here by violence. Violence will not have the last word when it comes to this community. The story of Roseburg [made] strong isn’t what happened on October 1^st. The story of Roseburg [made] strong is in what happens now.

It was literally the day after everything happened, there were signs everywhere on coffee shops and such, there were bumper stickers and coffee cups expressing the UCC Strong attitude everywhere. It was amazing how fast it all came together.

The trip up the hill to the community college campus was amazing, our community lined the street all the way with flags. It was the smiling faces and the expressions of love that overwhelmed us. We were in tears because of all the love they showed us. There were many heroes that day and we definitely appreciate all of them.

So we say thank you to all the first responders, to our sheriff and I really want them all to know that we sleep well at night knowing they protect us. It was my little girl on the floor that day who came out alive. They take good care of us. They actually make Roseburg strong.

It feels great to actually push forward and get past those things. It makes you feel stronger and though my fear could have been a lot bigger I didn’t let it stop me.

This is not a place of depression, this is a place of courage. It’s a place where we can walk down the streets knowing were going to be alright. And we want our nation to know, don’t feel sorry for us. We are Roseburg strong and we are going to be just fine.”

Pastor Jon Burgess welcomes the family Scroggins to the New Hope Oahu’s stage:

“We are so thankful to have the Scroggins Family here today with us. Seeing what’s going on in the world around us kind of makes this a divine appointment. We didn’t really schedule this out. It is just kind of a God happening. In fact it was interesting how God even connected you with Pastor Wayne a few months before all this happened. Can you tell us about that?”

Pastor Scroggins:

“About a year and a half ago, I went through a meltdown and during that time we got away from the church for a couple of months. We just took a leave of absence. There was a friend who introduced me to a book that I believe and my wife believes saved my life. That book is titled Leading on Empty. That book really changed my life.

Then last March, one of the trustees, his wife, myself and my wife were coming to vacation in Hawaii. I told my trustee that no matter what we were going to visit that New Hope Church because I wanted to meet the author of that book; Pastor Wayne Cordeiro. So we came to service and was graciously seated by someone and after church I went up to meet Pastor Wayne and we actually spent some quality time together.

At that moment we didn’t understand what God was doing or how God was with us, but later that year on October 1 our whole world changed. I get a phone call at 2:30am and it was Pastor Wayne asking “What can we do for you?” So we talked for a little while and came up with a plan the New Hope was going to Roseburg

And your team really touched us. You all came to little Douglas County when we needed you all the most. You loved us and stepped in for us, you sang to us and you allowed us to laugh again. We are ever so thankful.

So when we knew we were visiting Hawaii again I was thrilled to be able to bring Douglas County here with us to say thank you to all of you for what you all did for us. The thing that strikes me so hard is that we are still in the process of healing. It reminds me so much of our Bible that guides our lives because we see raw, real people being used by God to walk through impossible situations. It is not yet a year removed from this event. It has only been a few months and you are all in the middle of this with us. That’s what blows my mind. You all walking through this with us just as God is walking with all of you. This is the Christmas message. This is God With Us.

God is not just with us when everything is figured out and everything is set in motion. No, God is with us from the start at the worst possible moments. It was like when we heard about the shooting the only thing I heard was, ‘He shot ‘em! They’ve been shot!’ My wife Lisa came out of the upstairs bedroom with a look of panic on her face and the next thing I knew was in the car speeding to the college.

I want you all to know that when we talk about God with us, it’s important to understand that He is Always with us. He doesn’t assign a specific time that He will be there. He is simply ALWAYS there and He was with Lacey. When Lacey came out and was with the police, a church member just happened to be there and said, ‘That’s our Pastor’s daughter and we should get her to him right away.’ And when they brought her to me - in spite of what she just went through or the blood that she was covered in or the fact that she is a young woman and not a child anymore - I just hugged her but it wasn’t an ordinary hug, it was the hug of a lifetime.

Lisa Scroggins (Pastor Randy’s wife) adds:

“I am just thankful that my children know Jesus, I’m thankful that at the moment she is laying there facing terror that the first thing she does is to start praying. We can’t be with them 24/7 but we have instilled in them that God is always with us, and I’m grateful that for all the times I prayed for a hedge of protection around them that her thoughts were focused on God at that time.”

Lacey Scroggins replies after being asked “What can you say to others who have been through a traumatic experience?”

“I know I didn’t want this to ruin my chance of becoming a doctor someday and I have a long road before that happens so I have to just go on and continue because I still want to be a doctor. Life is short so don’t let things like this stop you. Let it keep you pushing forward and let it give you a reason to push forward because obviously there’s a reason for you to still be here since you weren’t taken away.”

Lacey just spoke to a whole generation that has been taught that they can find their identity in being victimized, but what Lacey has chosen to do is to walk forward with the courage of Jesus, her Savior, even though she has had a most tragic experience. She has chosen not to let that experience hold her back.

Jeremiah Scroggins (Pastor Randy’s son) recalls:

“When I first heard about this I was on a soccer trip, I would never think that anything could happen to my family in Roseburg. Like nothing ever happens there. When my friend said he got a text from his brother who was also attending UCC I instantly called my sister. The phone rang and rang for a few moments and a blanket of fear came over me, the she answered and boy was I happy. You know you think that your family is always going to be here and it’s super easy to take that all for granted. I’m never going to take it for granted anymore. I’ve been trying to spend time with my family as much as possible now.

Randy Scroggins jokingly adds:

“And they don’t fight near as much anymore too.

Another thing is that I’ve begun to tell every father that it’s great that you teach your children how to play sports, but, the best thing you could ever do is to teach your children how to pray. One big thing I learned through all this is that there’s a big difference in being a Pastor and being a father, and I find that being a pastor is harder than being a father. Being a pastor you learn all the right things to say, and it’s not out of the lack of sincerity, it’s just knowing the right words. As a pastor you know how to comfort someone, you know when to put your arms around someone, but, when tragedy comes knocking at your door, you have to swallow all those things yourself.

So for the Roseburg Community this is what we’re doing in our community. First, we don’t claim to know all the answers. Sometimes the best thing to do is just be there for someone, send a text saying I’m praying for you or you’re in my thoughts today. We just pour out love on them, but you also need to know when not to be there also.

There are some in our community that do question whether God is with us. So we don’t push, we just love them by serving them and showing we care.

The holiday season is a happy time for some people, but there are those that just can’t wait until January so they can leave all the pain and hurt behind. But this is the time to show them about God’s love. Anything that is in my ability to do is so limiting, but remember your children are a gift from God and when you can trust their lives with Christ, it doesn’t matter where they are or what circumstances they are faced with. Your prayers cover them.

So the first story today was about our daughter Lacey and how she almost would not have been able to be here with us right now. But the most important story happened 2000 years ago when God realized that the world He had created was not going very well and said that the sacrificial blood of animals was no longer working so something different had to be sacrificed. Thus Jesus stepped up and said that He would go. Perfection came to imperfection. One that was used to being praised was then mocked and beaten within an inch of His life. Then He was taken to that rugged old tree and gave His life. Why? Because God said that He needed someone’s blood that could not only save them but to keep them.

If you don’t already know Christ, then come to Him today. This is a story of a community that lived through a horrendous traumatic tragedy but moves on in the Spirit of God.”

Study Suggestions

1) What kind of Traumatic experiences have you faced?

2) How are you dealing with it?

3) If you are struggling with something, what do you need to become strong again?