Ministering to a grieving city, the Lifehouse Virginia Beach church held a prayer vigil Saturday morning, in a parking lot, in the rain, for the victims of the mass shooting that claimed the lives of 12 on Friday afternoon, May 31.
Saying Friday that it was “truly saddened” by the tragedy, the church offered an “open prayer vigil to our community and beloved city.”
“Lean on God in this troubling time,” it was written on Facebook.
Before 10 a.m., people began arriving at the Strawbridge Regal Cinemas parking lot.
Here’s what you need to know:
Citizens of Virginia Beach Gathered in a Parking Lot to Pray
Cathy Whitley, Brenda Flowers and Renee Gathers pray during a service organized by Lifehouse Virginia Beach in the parking lot of a local shopping center the day after a mass shooting left 13 people dead June 01, 2019 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
People gathered to pray during a service organized by Lifehouse Virginia Beach to honor those whose lives were lost and to pray for their families as well as for the injured and the city itself.
Mourners pray on June 1, 2019, for the victims of the mass shooting, during an improvised vigil in a parking lot of a shopping center in Virginia, Beach, Virginia.
The names of the 12 victims of Friday’s shooting rampage were made public along with the identity of the of person responsible, longtime city engineer DeWayne Craddock, 40, who was killed by police.
The names of the 12 victims of Friday’s shooting rampage at the city’s Municipal Center were made public along with the identity of the shooter, city engineer DeWayne Craddock.
Among Those Attending the Vigil Was Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam
VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA – JUNE 01: Governor Ralph Northam (C) embraces a man who knew several of Friday’s mass shooting victims during a public prayer service organized by Lifehouse Virginia Beach in the parking lot of a shopping center June 01, 2019 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The names of the 12 victims of Friday’s shooting rampage at the city’s Municipal Center were made public along with the identity of the shooter, city engineer DeWayne Craddock. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
On Friday, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam tweeted: “This is a tragic day for Virginia Beach and our entire Commonwealth. My heart breaks for the victims of this devastating shooting, their families, and all who loved them. I am on my way to Virginia Beach now and will be there within the hour.”
Governor Ralph Northam makes remarks during a public prayer service for Friday’s mass shooting victims organized by Lifehouse Virginia Beach in the parking lot of a shopping center June 01, 2019 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Here Are the Victims of the Mass Shooting. All But 1 Were City Employees
City of Virginia BeachSome of the Virginia Beach shooting victims From left, clockwise: Richard Nettleton, LaQuita Brown, Christopher Rapp, and Joshua Hardy.
Tara Welch Gallager, Virginia Beach
Mary Louise Gayle, Virginia Beach
Alexander Mikhail Gusev, Virginia Beach
Katherine A. Nixon, Virginia Beach
City of Virginia BeachSome of the Virginia Beach shooting victims. From left, clockwise: Ryan Keith Cox, Alexander Gusev, Katherine Nixon, Mary Louise Gayle.
Christopher Kelly Rapp, Powhatan
Ryan Keith Cox, Virginia Beach
Joshua A. Hardy, Virginia Beach
Michelle “Missy” Langer, Virginia Beach
Robert “Bobby” Williams, Chesapeake
Herbert “Bert” Snelling, Virginia Beach
City of Virginia BeachSome of the Virginia Beach shooting victims. From left, clockwise: Herbert Bert Snelling, Tara Welch Gallagher, Robert “Bobby” Williams, and Michelle “Missy” Langer.