In his second sermon, Fort Smith's newest pastor rewrites sermon to address Trump shooting

Correction: An earlier version of this story included an error regarding the start of the Republican National Convention. The convention began Monday.

The new pastor at Fort Smith United Methodist Church is a writer. The Rev. Blake Bradford has penned five books, so he is used to carefully choosing his words in sentences. Sometimes those words are hard to find and more needed before a sermon. He found a way to amend his sermon and share thoughts the morning after the shooting of former president Donald Trump. It was Bradford’s second sermon as pastor at the church.

“As a people of faith, we’re horrified and saddened by the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I condemn violence as an affront to the message of love, forgiveness and reconciliation that I hold dear,” Bradford said after meeting church members Sunday right after the service.

The historic church on Fort Smith’s northside is a few blocks from downtown. There are members from across the River Valley, about 1,200 of them today. Rev. Bill “Bud” Reeves retired after nine years at the church, and Bradford took over July 14. Bradford, of Little Rock, is the former district superintendent for Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church’s northwest Arkansas district. He oversaw 120 churches, steering rough seas as Methodists broke away from churches nationwide. More than a quarter of the Arkansas United Methodist churches have disaffiliated , leaving 415 United Methodist churches statewide.

He said he is getting to know Fort Smith and the congregation here and offered a response to the shooting and the fear it prompted.

“When we gather as United Methodists we are focused on peace. We are focused on reconciliation, and we are focused on healing, and we are not to be distracted by fear,” Bradford said.

During the prayer time of Sunday’s service and in his sermon, he spoke about political violence.

“It is a challenging season in which we are doing ministry,” Bradford said.

“We at First United Methodist Church will be lifting up our prayers for Trump and his family during this challenging time, along with the families of those who were killed in yesterday’s violence, asking for God’s comfort and peace.”

Similar words were echoed from inside the Fort Smith First Baptist Church a few blocks away, and in places of worship across the world.

The Rev. Greg Addison, senior pastor at Fort Smith First Baptist asked the congregation Sunday to pray for peace in our culture and for peace at the Republican National Convention that started Monday.

“We are going to pray for Milwaukee, so things don’t break out there. We are going to pray for our president who is leading our country. We are going to pray for former president Trump, for his safety and his family and his advisers. We are going to pray for law enforcement, Secret Service, ... FBI, state and local. You never know in a moment like this what could break out. We pray for the rhetoric and the discourse in our nation to find a different path than it has been on,” Addison said.

Bradford, 49, is now the youngest lead pastor at Fort Smith United Methodist. Also joining him is associate pastor, The Rev. Abbey Maynard who started July 1, as well.

Maynard is a lifelong United Methodist who graduated from Hendrix College and Candler School of Theology, with experience in pastoral roles focused on community ministries. Previously, she served as pastor of community ministries at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church in Little Rock, according to a news release.

Bradford also has been reaching out to an audience on social media.

“Abby and I are unloading our boxes and getting to know folks here in Fort Smith,” he said in a Facebook post.

Bradford brings nearly a decade of experience as a district superintendent and staff member of the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church, culminating in his role as dean of the Bishop’s Cabinet.

More: Arkansas loses 67 more United Methodist churches

Bradford is a seasoned leader with a deep commitment to growing disciples and connecting the church to the community.

Bradford authored and co-authored five books on church leadership and governance, and presented workshops at conferences nationwide, according to a church news release.

"First United Methodist Church of Fort Smith has a legacy of outstanding fruitfulness in ministry, and the congregation has been a leader both in the River Valley and in the UMC for decades. As the church faces new opportunities in this next season ahead, I am excited to journey alongside such faithful disciples as we, together, seek to make a God-sized impact in and with the people of the larger Fort Smith community," Bradford said.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: In his second sermon, Fort Smith's newest pastor rewrites sermon to address Trump shooting