Billy Graham Ministry Sends Chaplains to Berlin After Christmas Market Attack

By Aubrey Bartolome
Berlin Attack
A makeshift memorial for the victims of the Berlin Christmas market attack is filled with flowers and candles brought by mourners.  Twitter/ FranklinGraham

The Rapid Response Team from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has arrived in Germany to minister to people after a truck plowed through the Berlin Christmas market and killed 12 people.

According to Jeff Naber, manager of chaplain development and ministry relations for the Rapid Response Team, the team will be there to give emotional and spiritual care for the people who will be seeking them in the aftermath of the attack. Their purpose is to share God's love, about how He gave His Son because of His love for the world.

The international team that consists of chaplains from the United States and Canada will be joining other local churches. One of the places where they will provide care is the makeshift memorial where mourners have been placing candles and flowers to remember those who were killed by the act.

The Rapid Response Team has gone to Germany earlier this year after the shooting incident in a mall in Munich. The team was established after the 9/11 to provide support for not only individuals but also communities who have undergone a crisis or tragedy. For this year alone, they have already responded to five international tragedies.

The Islamic State has claimed to be the ones responsible for the Berlin Christmas market although the investigators have not officially stated that it was a terrorist attack, it bears resemblance to the attack on Nice, France which happened last July.

A report by Christian News said that the police is looking for a Tunisian ex-convict who sought asylum in Germany but was denied. Apparently, a wallet containing the man's asylum documents was found in the truck that plowed through the market.

In light of the attack, the German Bishops' Conference will be holding a day of prayer on December 26 and asked Christians to pray for harassed and persecuted Christians. Bishop Gerbhart Furst requests that prayer for the victims and families be offered.

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