The pastor of First Baptist Church Sutherland Springs, Frank Pomeroy, has announced that he will be running for a seat in the Texas State legislature next year.
Pastor Pomeroy lost his own teenage daughter, Annabelle, in a mass shooting that claimed the lives of some 26 of the church’s congregants. Now almost two years on from the tragedy, Pomeroy is hoping to bring some wisdom to the plethora of debates that continue to divide the nation: namely, gun control.
“I felt like something needed to be brought to the conversation, like civility and real intelligent discourse,” he told ABC News, noting that he was perturbed by the way “integrity and morality are degrading,” in the political sphere, particularly among the Democratic party.
Seeking to win a Republican seat in District 21 — a seat currently held by Democrat Judith Zaffirini — Pomeroy insisted that tightening restrictions on the ownership of guns is not the way forward to creating a safer America. He believes that there are a plethora of issues at the root of many of these devastating mass shootings, including the scourage of mental illness.
“If I can bring civility and godliness and help stymie the downward spiraling of the great state of Texas, that’s what I’m choosing to do try to do, Pomeroy said Sunday afternoon, according to the Texas Tribune. “I feel as though that morality and integrity is disappearing rapidly and I feel as though the direction Texas goes — if Texas falls, the country falls.”
Pomeroy, who has never held elected office before, added that he would be seeking the Lord for wisdom as he moves forward with his political bid.
“This is totally out of my wheelhouse, but I’m totally trusting the Lord to show me how to do the things I need to do,” he said.
The perpetrator of the Sutherland Springs attack had a history of violent and unstable behavior. He was known to be a volatile individual who would often make threats to co-workers and members of his own family.
After being expelled from the US Air Force for beating his wife, the shooter unleashed the horrific mass shooting, killing his spouse’s own grandmother — thankfully, neither his wife or her mom attended church that day.
As he was leaving the church, the shooter was shot by a gun-carrying bystander, who was subsequently praised for his bravery and used as a good example of upstanding, responsible gun ownership. Wounded, the gunman fled, with two armed locals in hot pursuit. He was eventually discovered by law enforcement with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
In the aftermath of the shooting, and despite losing his own child, Pomeroy exhibited an astonishing level of grace.
“We have the power to choose, and, rather than choose darkness, like that young man did that day, I say we choose life,” the grieving pastor declared in a sermon preached just one week after the fatal shooting.
Earlier this year, after the site of the shooting was turned into a permanent memorial, the church opened a brand new state-of-the-art sanctuary. During an emotional dedication service which was attended by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the name of every victim was read aloud.
“As people drive through Sutherland Springs in the future they will know that this is a place where goodness triumphed over evil,” Abbott declared in his powerful address. “I have no doubt that God will continue to work through this community to write the next chapter for the remarkable and faithful people of Sutherland Springs.”
Faithwire has reached out to Pastor Pomeroy for comment on his latest endeavor. We will update the article when we hear back from him.