U.S./Serbia (MNN) — United States politicians lobby for more gun control after Saturday’s mall shooting in Texas. Meanwhile, protestors fill the streets in Serbia, calling for government change.
Two mass shootings last week in Serbia left 17 people dead and 21 wounded. Eight of the victims were children at a middle school.
“We (Americans) think we’re the only ones having these incidents and shootings in schools, but things are going on in other parts of the world,” International Media Ministries President Denise Godwin says.
“Maybe it’s good for us all to know we’re not unique or alone in these terrible things and to pray for one another.”
Critics decry a culture of violence in Serbia. “Serbia has dealt with all kinds of war, upheaval, and mafias,” Godwin explains.
“That shouldn’t result in violence, but those things seem to go hand-in-hand, and what a tragedy for everyone.”
Political measures such as gun control or censorship cannot change a human heart.
“Violence is built into human nature when we’re broken. That goes back to the fall of humanity as sin entered in,” Godwin says.
Christ-followers introduce people to a different perspective. Learn more about IMM’s work here. “We have a duty to minister to hurting people,” Godwin says.
“Our friends in Serbia are passionate [about] media ministry. They’re doing projects and praying that Serbia becomes a Christian nation.”
Pray believers in the U.S. and Serbia will share the hope of Christ with people surrounded by pain and darkness.
“Anytime there’s a dissonance in culture and personal lives, it’s an opportunity for Jesus Christ to enter in [and] for people to reconsider things they’ve discarded about religion or God,” Godwin says.
“He is the expert at turning evil into good and turning what Satan meant for destruction into something that can be redeemed.”
On May 3, 2023, a 13-year-old shooter opened fire on students and staff at Vladislav Ribnikar Model Elementary School in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, killing nine people (eight students and a security guard) and wounding seven others (six students and a teacher). (Photo, caption courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
