Wichita mourns and prays

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: It’s Friday the 31st of January.

Glad to have you along for today’s edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

A military helicopter crashed into American Airlines flight 5342 over Washington Wednesday night. A fireball was visible and the doomed aircraft dropped into the Potomac River along with 60 passengers.

Some of them were returning from a figure skating competition in Wichita last week.

BROWN: Yesterday afternoon, faith leaders and community members gathered for a news conference and prayer vigil.

News Editor Lynde Langdon lives in Wichita and she has the story.

LYNDE LANGDON: Just a week ago, people from around the world watched U.S. Figure skating championships held in Wichita, Kansas. Hosting this event was a big deal for our city in here in flyover country, here’s Wichita resident Jeanette Grantstein.

JEANETTE GRANTSTEIN: I've been a long time ice skating fan, and I'm so excited to hear that they were going to be in Wichita. I knew I had to be there, so I attended three of the sessions.

Now, the world is watching Wichita for a different reason.

GRANTSTEIN: Some of them would go to the Olympics. And then last night to hear that they were on the plane, some of them were on the plane, it just brought it home how fragile life is and how we have to take every day, just live every day to its fullest.

This might be a mid-sized city, but Wichita feels like a small town. People make small talk with strangers at the gas pump and spend Friday nights at high school football games. National news events are interesting but seem far away. Michelle Vann has lived in Wichita for 34 years.

MICHELLE VANN: It’s one thing for it to be out there and for it to be people that came from Wichita, but they weren’t really Wichitans … But then when you start to realize, oh I know this one. I know this one. It becomes a different thing.

AUDIO: We need you, Lord. We need you, Lord, right now. We need you, Lord. we need you Lord right now we lift our hands and bow our knees and worship at your throne we need you Lord.

Within hours of hearing about the crash, Mayor Lily Wu announced a prayer service at city hall for Thursday at noon. Before the service, leaders with the Greater Wichita Ministerial League laid hands on Mayor Wu and prayed for her. I talked with one of those leaders, Pamela Hughes-Mason, after the prayer service.

LANGDON: Can you tell me a little bit about what you were praying for her?

PAMELA HUGHES-MASON: Just for strength, for wisdom, for guidance, and also speaking to her heart because this is a very challenging space at this time. We are all grieving as a community…just letting her know we’re praying for her and praying with her.

Hundreds of people packed a meeting room at city hall for the service on Thursday. I counted at least 20 news cameras focused on the city’s pastors as they prayed for the 60 passengers, four crew members, and three soldiers who died in the crash. Ben Staley of Chapel Hill United Methodist Church was one of the pastors who spoke at the service.

BEN STALEY: Do you know the world is watching Wichita, Kansas? Let us be a light of hope, showing the love of Christ in ways that draw us to one another.

Staley offered this prayer:

STALEY: Today Lord we seek you…We pray that you would remind us of the assurance that you never leave us nor forsake us. Never is never and you were with those in those flights flying into Washington, DC, you were with them there and you were with them in the cold waters of the Potomac and your angels watching over them, never is never. You never leave us nor forsake us

I’ve lived in Wichita for more than a decade while working for WORLD, and have flown the same American Airlines route to and from Washington. I’m always glad to return home to Kansas, where life is just gentler. I’m proud of my city for putting its faith on display in a time of great sorrow, and I hope that our prayers will encourage others to turn to God.

MASON: And everyone with a loud voice will cry out in agreement, amen.

CROWD: Amen!

MASON: It is done.

CROWD: It is done.

MASON: Amen!

CROWD: Amen!

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Lynde Langdon, in Wichita, Kansas.

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