When a mass shooting claimed 26 lives at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs last November, a neighboring River Oaks Church responded as a safe place for families and first responders.
Also helping behind the scenes, since that first day, was the Ecumenical Center for Education, Counseling, and Health. Mary Beth Fisk, CEO and executive director of the center, says that since then, they've made a new home at River Oaks Church.
“We have well over 20 counselors in the community that have served in this part of the community since that time,” Fisk noted.
Martha Buford is the newly-named community coordinator for Wilson County. She's also the pastor's wife at River Oaks Church.
“This is a crisis of faith for people of faith,” Buford said. “This is like, ‘God wasn't there, God didn't protect me, so how do I deal with that?’”
That’s why the center repurposed rooms in the church as a peaceful place for adults to talk about their feelings. But they’ve also improved spaces for children to deal with their grief as well.
“I've seen 3-year-olds that were afraid to go back to church the next week because they sensed the stress that happened that first week,” Buford said.
For that reason, the center has had to make some improvements. A newly-installed playground and a new therapy playroom adjacent to the church will serve as a safe place for counselors to work with children.
Fisk says that the Ecumenical Center has a wide reach, with a total of 19 locations across South Texas. The newest include the locations at River Oaks Church, La Vernia, and another coming soon at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs.
“We thought since the trauma happened in a church, they aren't going to want a church setting,” Buford explained. “But they find comfort in coming back to a church, to the faith. They know it's true, even though it's been rocked.”
The center's services are free of charge to anyone recovering from the tragedy. The First Baptist church of Sutherland Springs location will be opening in May.