Statements by the Murray and Works Families
Expressions of love, grace and forgiveness in the wake of a violent tragedy.
On December 9, 2007, 24-year-old gunman Matthew Murray killed teenage sisters Rachel and Stephanie Works at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Works and Murray families have made the following statements, and have given us permission to share them with our readers.
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"The Works family wants to thank everyone for the tremendous outpouring of love, and especially for those who were there to hold us up in every way during this tragedy. We are extremely grateful and relieved that no other families lost loved ones. We realize that it could have been any one of us. Because of our faith, we know that this is just a temporary loss, and though there will be pain for some time to come, we will have the strength to bear it with your help." — The Works Family
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"Words cannot adequately express our deep, deep gratitude to David and Marie Works, Pastor Brady Boyd, Jeanne Assam, and the entire New Life Church family … We also want to once again express our appreciation for the Johnson and Crouse families for receiving us in love last month together with everyone at Youth With A Mission and the New Faith Bible Chapel in Arvada. The depth of our sorrow and our grief is greater than we can possibly describe. But with thanks to God, these remarkable families and their pastors and churches, healing and reconciliation have begun. We are committed to finding a way to move forward in the service of The Lord and our community. Our family is united around one main goal: to dedicate ourselves to using our lives and the power of Christian forgiveness to honor these four precious young people - Rachel and Stephanie Works, Tiffany Johnson and Philip Crouse." — The Murray Family
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"The Works family wants to thank everyone for the tremendous outpouring of love, and especially for those who were there to hold us up in every way during this tragedy. We are extremely grateful and relieved that no other families lost loved ones. We realize that it could have been any one of us. Because of our faith, we know that this is just a temporary loss, and though there will be pain for some time to come, we will have the strength to bear it with your help." — The Works Family
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"Words cannot adequately express our deep, deep gratitude to David and Marie Works, Pastor Brady Boyd, Jeanne Assam, and the entire New Life Church family … We also want to once again express our appreciation for the Johnson and Crouse families for receiving us in love last month together with everyone at Youth With A Mission and the New Faith Bible Chapel in Arvada. The depth of our sorrow and our grief is greater than we can possibly describe. But with thanks to God, these remarkable families and their pastors and churches, healing and reconciliation have begun. We are committed to finding a way to move forward in the service of The Lord and our community. Our family is united around one main goal: to dedicate ourselves to using our lives and the power of Christian forgiveness to honor these four precious young people - Rachel and Stephanie Works, Tiffany Johnson and Philip Crouse." — The Murray Family