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BLACKSBURG, Va. - Many Virginia residents turned to religion after experiencing shock, disbelief, anguish, grief, anger and numbness as they tried to cope with the April 16 shootings at Virginia Tech.
On Sunday, Rev. Bob Jackson posed the question "God and Tragedy - Where do we go from here?" and based his sermon on Luke 13:1-5.
"I've wondered this week how in the world these pieces will ever be put back together," Jackson said.
Members of the nondenominational Northstar Church usually meet in a middle school. They found another location because the school was closed after the largest shooting in U.S. history at nearby Virginia Tech left 32 dead in addition to the shooter.
Graduate student Suzanne Gregory came to church Sunday dressed in orange and maroon - Virginia Tech's school colors. Gregory, of Java, said many students are turning to God, praying more and telling others they are praying for them.
"Things were said to me by perfect strangers, and I felt like I had known them my entire life," she said.
Elected U.S. officials have also turned to God this week.
"There's not a government official who gets on TV and doesn't say, 'You're in our thoughts and prayers,'" Gregory said. "I just wish they'd realize that the other 364 days a year we need him the same."
Gregory used to live in the residence hall where some of the shootings occurred but did not know anyone who was killed. She came to church to pray Monday night and attended the campus vigil Tuesday.
"It doesn't matter if you knew anybody or not," she said. "This is our community and our home away from home."
Senior Sarah Huffer knew a classmate who was killed in the attacks. Huffer was working on a class project April 16 in the building next to Norris Hall, where the majority of people were killed.
Police with large rifles stood outside the window, but Huffer said she did not hear any gunshots. She spent three hours on lockdown e-mailing, instant messaging and trying to continue working.
"We had no idea it was that horrific," she said.
Huffer sang at the Blacksburg United Methodist Church on Sunday to a congregation that spilled out the front door. Rev. Reginald Tuck told the congregation to stop questioning why the shooting happened and start dealing with the grief.
"It is a time to acknowledge our pain and not assign blame," Tuck said.
The Rev. Bob Jackson said Monday's events will serve as a catalyst in his life. He said he will spend less time doing administrative work because the shooting has changed his priorities.
"My focus needs to be less on that and more on people," he said.
Karen McIntyre can be reached at kmcintyre@theorion.com
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Read more of The Orion's on-location coverage of Virginia Tech:
- Virginia Tech tragedy
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