April 17, 2007
The tragedy that struck Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, left the nation reeling. Patrick Hodges, who attends Faith Alliance Church in nearby Roanoke, is a videographer for the local CBS affiliate WDBJ and was first on the scene to film the horrific incident.
According to his pastor, Rev. David Fraser, Hodges “arrived just after the first shooting. His film was used on all major media broadcasts, such as CNN.” Fraser related Hodges’ comments in the aftermath of the shootings. “He was overwhelmed,” says Fraser. “He said it all happened so fast while he was filming, and when it was over, that’s when it hit him how close he was to the situation.” Hodges captured footage of grief-stricken emergency responders slumped against walls and vehicles, shocked at what they had just witnessed.
Church members who are students at Virginia Tech were either not on campus or in another location at the time of the shootings. “One of our church members who graduated from Virginia Tech arrived on the campus yesterday,” Fraser says. “She works with Campus Crusade and was supposed to be in the Ambler-Johnson dorm [where the first shooting occurred].” But friends called and invited her to stay in their home. “We’re grateful that the Lord watched over our people.”
Word of the shootings reached the Alliance family around the world. Before an Alliance worker to Burkina Faso began his family devotions, he called Fraser to inquire about Faith Alliance Church members’ safety and “promised to pray for families of the victims and the student body,” says Fraser, who has pastored the Alliance church for 28 years. More than 200 people attend the church.