More prayer requests for the city of Detroit

Yesterday and today two sorrowful events happened here in Detroit.
First, there was a shooting at a Church. Apparently a young ex-boyfriend (18 or 19 year old) went looking for his ex, mother of his child, from whom he had a restraining order. Not finding her, he opened fire in the Church, killing the ex's mother and wounding a 9 year old sitting next to her. He also shot someone outside who interfered with his carjacking a vehicle, and when tracked down by the police shot himself to death. The Detroit News Article can be found at
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060227/METRO/602270343

Particularly interesting to me is this quote from Edgar Van, a popular baptist preacher here in Detroit, in the paper.

He called the shooting a tragic situation and a sign of the times.
Zion Hope had guards inside and outside the church, but the shooter still slipped in.
"All churches need security," said Vann, the former president of the Detroit Council of Baptist Ministers.

Guards at the Church? A sign of the times? Yes, we need security, and in fact several of our Ushers are current and former police officers. But 'Security Guards'? Except for the occasional interruption by a transient person, we haven't had any need for such a thing, particularly since the redevelopment of the neighborhood and the Olympia Parking employees who monitor the parking lot. But I suppose if you know of impending trouble (the shooter had been by the Church a few weeks earlier and physically attacked the ex-girlfriend), then I guess you re-double your vigilance.

This morning two Detroit Police Officers were shot during a traffic stop on the Northwest side. One was hit in the vest and is okay, the other took a bullet right under the vest in the abdomen (the vest doesn't come all the way down since the officers have to be able to sit down in the scout car.). He is expected to recover. The shooters are still at large as of 2pm today. I will post names of the officers when they are available.

Pray, Pray, Pray for the City of Detroit, its churches and police officers, and its people!