Frank Pomeroy was hunting in the wet and cold Alaskan bush when the Lord gave him his final sermon as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs.
Considering the grizzlies, black bear, wolves and rain, Pomeroy suspected the message would somehow encompass creation.
Pomeroy told Baptist Press, “But God kept bringing me back to, this was an opportunity for me to share what’s important for the church to continue on, and that’s when He … led me to Paul’s letter to Ephesus (Acts 20) and we just went from there.”
Pomeroy’s consistent messages despite extreme hardship — Love never fails; Evil did not win.
Pomeroy and his wife Sherri have sold their home to their youngest son Korey and daughter-in-law Ashley, downsized their belongings to a camper trailer and are planning a brief road trip before returning to Texas, perhaps for a campground ministry. But he’s not certain of God’s plan.
Their 14-year-old daughter Annabelle was among those killed when Devin Kelley walked in the church and began shooting indiscriminately in what remains the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history. Kelley fled the scene and shot himself to death.
Pomeroy encouraged the church to embrace humility, which goes beyond individual pain. He said, The church survived the tragedy by choosing victory.
The church has demolished the building where the shootings occurred and has preserved an open-air memorial to those killed.