Texas church members gather for 1st time since attack
Posted November 12, 2017 6:00 am
SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas (AP) - Hundreds of people are expected to worship with surviving members of the small Texas church where a shooting rampage left more than two dozen people dead.
Members of the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs will gather Sunday for a church service for the first time since a gunman burst into services a week earlier.
The attack was the worst mass shooting in Texas history.
Initial plans called for holding a service at a community center. But as many as 500 people are now expected, so the service will be held in a local baseball park.
Church representatives also plan to eventually open a public memorial inside the church, where empty chairs have been placed to represent the people killed.
Miguel Zamora stands a cross for the victims of the Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church shooting at a makeshift memorial, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. A man opened fire inside the church in the small South Texas community on Sunday, killing more than two dozen. Zamora carried the cross for three days to reach the site. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Two hearses arrive with the caskets of Richard and Therese Rodriguez at the Sutherland Springs Cemetery, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. The two were killed when a man opened fire inside the Sutherland Springs First Baptist church on Sunday. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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A family arrives for a grave side service for Richard and Therese Rodriguez at the Sutherland Springs Cemetery, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. The Rodriguez couple were killed when a man opened fire inside the Sutherland Springs First Baptist church on Sunday. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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First responders join in prayer following a Veterans Day event, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, near the Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. A man opened fire inside the church in the small South Texas community on Sunday, killing more than two dozen. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The Associated Press
First responders join in prayer following a Veterans Day event, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, near the Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. A man opened fire inside the church in the small South Texas community on Sunday, killing more than two dozen. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The Associated Press
St. Mary's ROTC color guard take part in a Veterans Day event, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. The event was held at the community, just a block away from the Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church where a man opened killing more than two dozen. Veteran Robert Corrigan, who was killed in the church, was honored during the service. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Veteran and Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church member Ted Montgomery, left, greets members of the St. Mary's ROTC following a Veterans Day event, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. A man opened fire inside the church in the small South Texas community on Sunday, killing more than two dozen. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The Associated Press
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