The Church Loves Kansas City: Christians continue rallying around shooting victims

Dozens of churches and ministries across the Kansas City metropolitan continue coming together to support victims of the deadly shooting during the Super Bowl celebration at Union Station. Donations to The Church Loves Kansas City fund will be held by the National Christian Foundation until they are distributed.

Abundant Life Church, the Church of the Resurrection and Bott Radio Network are among some of the more prominent participating churches and organizations.

The fund balance has grown to over $130,000.

Churches involved in the fund said the donations paid for funeral expenses for Lisa Lopez, the woman killed in the shooting. Organizers are now focused on paying medical expenses for all victims injured in the shooting. After medical bills are paid, the group hopes to create a fund to pay for counseling costs for anyone who needs assistance processing the trauma and tragedy.

“On the ongoing counseling a person has to make a decision: `Do I have the money and time for this?” Gary Kendall, executive director of LoveKC, told KCTV-5. “We want the answer to be `yes, I have the money and the time. And we’re going to make that happen as much as we possibly can.

“The reality is the two alleged perpetrators probably were traumatized at some point in their lives as well. And trauma has a way of repeating if we don’t find healing.”

Any additional money donated will be used to create the Crisis KC Fund. The involved churches said funds also will be held by the National Christian Foundation and be used to assist during any future crisis that affects Kansas City.

“We believe the church has a unique role to fulfill,” Kendall said. “Let’s commit for the long haul. The church can embrace the city with the love of Jesus.”

For more information, visit www.thechurchloveskansascity.org.

–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice