Anglican archbishops in New Zealand, Australia and England have spoken out after gunmen attacked two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch. At 9 pm Friday NZDT (8 am GMT), the official death toll from the terror attacks stood at 49 people with another 39 being treated in Christchurch Hospital. New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush told a press conference that 41 people were killed at the al-Noor mosque on Deans Avenue; and seven at the Linwood Islamic Centre on Linwood Avenue. Another person died at Christchurch Hospital.

The City of Christchurch was put on lockdown after news of the attacks emerged at around 1.40 pm NZDT (12.40 am GMT). Four people have been arrested. One, a man in his twenties described as a white supremacist, has been charged with murder and will appear in court tomorrow (Saturday). One armed man arrested near the scene has been ruled out of involvement. Police are continuing to investigate whether two other people arrested at the scene with firearms were involved in the attacks.

The Bishop of Christchurch, Peter Carrell, issued a statement on behalf of the leaders of churches in Christchurch city and Canterbury province. “Church leaders are absolutely devastated at the unprecedented situation in Christchurch this afternoon and our hearts and prayers go to all involved,” the statement said. “No religious organisation or group deserves to be the target of someone’s hate – regardless of beliefs.

“We stand for an Aotearoa New Zealand which will never condone such violence. So across the churches of Christchurch and Canterbury, we are praying for our Muslim brothers and sisters, for those injured and those who have lost loved ones, for the police, ambulance and other emergency services, and for all in the city of Christchurch who are feeling distress and fear due to this event.

“We are upholding you all in our prayers. We pray too for the shooter and their supporters, because for any person to do this, they must have such hatred in their hearts, such misalignment of the value of human life, that they too, need our prayer. We thank many others from around our nation and the world who are praying for peace in Christchurch.”

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Church leaders offer prayer and solidarity after New Zealand mosque attacks leaves 49 dead https://t.co/QQy43Vw0uR

— Richard Murphy (@Richard52512864) March 15, 2019

From there:

God, in His infinite mercy, brought our brethren back undefiled! Our Mummy conquered in the bush such that even the commandant of the bush would normally order everyone “please keep quiet madam is praying”.
God equally used our Mummy to restore a missing girl from Oyo state. The girl is an orphan; her late mother was married from Umuahia in Abia state. As Mummy Jata’u continued praying, the girl got attracted to her and narrated her ordeals to her.
The girl was living with her grand mother. On the 10th of January, she was going for an examination in Kebbi state. She was told, since she doesn’t know the place, that she should get to Sokoto and board another vehicle to Katsina state. This she did without knowing that Katsina state is the state they had passed as well as Zamfara state before getting to Sokoto.
It was on their way back to Katsina that she was kidnapped. Her grand mother heard the news and died as well. God a reason for everything!
While the Jatau’s were coming out, Mummy pleaded with the terrorists to let her go with the girl and the request was granted; nothing was paid for her release!
The sister of our Daddy was to be raped by the hoodlums at gun point but she vehemently refused and chose to be killed rather than surrendering to the request of the terrible men. She came out undefiled!
They never knew their Dad had been killed though. Mummy also explained that she saw Daddy in dream telling her that he’s no more. Thanks to God for delivering the poor orphan from the captivity through our Mummy!!!!

The grace of God means something like this. Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn’t have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It’s for you I created the universe. I love you.

–Frederick Buechner–Wishful Thinking: A Seeker’s ABC (New York: Harper Collins, 1993), p. 39

“It is not that you feel love and then say, ‘I love you’, but that until you say ‘I love you’, you have not fully loved because it is the essence of love to speak itself—to make itself heard and to make itself hearers.” — Frederick Buechner @iamfujimura pic.twitter.com/8YOc3YIr0D

— David Taylor (@wdavidotaylor) November 16, 2017

You’ve probably seen the recent statistics about the suicide epidemic — that suicide rates over all have risen by over 30 percent this century; that teenage suicides are rising at roughly twice that rate; that every year 45,000 Americans kill themselves.

And yet we don’t talk about it much. It’s uncomfortable. Some people believe the falsehood that if we talk about suicide, it will plant the idea in the minds of vulnerable people. Many of us don’t know what to say or do.

A person may be at risk of committing suicide when he or she expresses hopelessness or self-loathing, when he or she starts joking about “after I’m gone,” starts giving away prized possessions, seems preoccupied with death, suddenly withdraws or suddenly appears calm after a period of depression, as if some decision has been made.

When you’re around somebody like that, don’t try to argue with her or him. Don’t say, “You have so much to live for!” Or, “Do you realize how much this will devastate the people around you?” If you gasp or act shocked you’ll burden the person with even more shame and guilt, pushing that person even harder to withdraw.

Sufferers will often lie about their plans. According to one study, 80 percent of suicide victims deny suicidal thoughts before killing themselves. The first thing to do, Agnes advises, is validate their feelings….

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How to Fight Suicide https://t.co/KjTCEWxZm1

— Wendy Landau (@wendylandau) March 15, 2019

Repost from @dioceseofsc Please keep the Diocese of South Carolina in your prayers as today, March 15, we gather for the first day of our 228th annual convention at Saint James Church in Charleston. pic.twitter.com/eD0WTT2PXA

— St. John’s Church (Anglican) (@STJOHNSFLORENCE) March 15, 2019

A horrific shooting at a Christchurch mosque was livestreamed for 17 minutes by the gunman.

Australian police have identified the shooter as Brenton Tarrant – a white, 28-year-old Australian-born man. Twitter has shut down a user account in that name.

The gunman published an online link to a lengthy “manifesto”, which the Herald has chosen not to report.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed an individual taken into custody was an Australian-born citizen. He called him “an extremist, right-wing, violent terrorist”.

Sky News reported that the man’s home town of Grafton was in shock, trying to come to terms with how a “polite, well-mannered young man” came to find himself on a path that led to Christchurch.

He was a student at the local high school and went on to work at a gym, where his former boss said he regularly volunteered his time to train kids for free.

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“It’s clear that this is one of New Zealand’s darkest days.” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reacts to shootings at two mosques in Christchurch. https://t.co/tvvjBBqQBA

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) March 15, 2019

Most Gracious God, who hast bidden us to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before thee; Teach us, like thy servants Vincent and Louise, to see and to serve Christ by feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, and caring for the sick; that we may know him to be the giver of all good things, through the same, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Heavenly Father, subdue in us whatever is contrary to thy holy will, that we may know how to please thee. Grant, O God, that we may never run into those temptations which in our prayers we desire to avoid. Lord, never permit our trials to be above our strength; through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

–Hebrews 4:12-13