On Thursday, August 5, 2010 I was notified that Daniel Schatz might have been the victim of a fatal car accident that involved two school buses from St. James and a semi-tractor. I immediately called Dave Schatz and he confirmed that the victim in the pickup was indeed his son Daniel. I later learned that a student from St. James (Jessica Brinker) had also been killed in the accident and a number of students had been seriously injured. I was stunned by this news and felt the helplessness that comes to us all in the face of such overwhelming loss.
As Pastor of Temple Baptist Church for over 23 years, I have become closely related to the Schatz family. While Dave’s wife Chara grew up in this church, Dave committed his life to Jesus in January of 1992 and I had the privilege of baptizing him into our church family. On March 21, 1992, Dave’s father (Neil Schatz) killed Dave’s mother, brother, sister, and two nephews before committing suicide. Those closest to Neil knew that he was depressed, but no one ever dreamed his depression was so severe. Walking with Dave and Chara through that tragedy galvanized our relationship in a way that nothing ever could. We witnessed the power of God manifested in our community and beyond to a degree that is rarely seen in the world today. Throughout the ordeal, Dave and Chara exemplified an unshakable faith that gave them healing and hope. Our church family reached out to the hurting community with the nurture and comfort that can only come by the inner working of the Holy Spirit and we were all given grace to praise God in spite of our pain.
Please don’t think for a moment that the months and years that followed did not involve a lot of pain and confusion. Faith is not a panacea for pain; it is the means by which believers process earthly pain in the light of eternal hope and God’s perspective through His grace. We grieve, but not as those without hope.
David Jr. and Daniel were just little boys in 1992. Dave and Chara saw their family grow with the addition of Devon, Dana, and Dailee. A lot of things changed through the years, but one thing that remained constant was a strong commitment to growing faith. That was reflected in their regular participation in the ministry of Temple Baptist Church. As each of the children have entered their teen years, they have traveled with the Youth Group on Mission Trips across the country and some of them serving internationally.
The Schatz household is a revolving door that spins with the constant flow of kids and adults of all ages finding a refuge of love and support combined with the safety of a Christian home grounded on solid biblical principle. You don’t have to agree with Dave to be accepted by him, but it seems all who fall under the Schatz influence develop an instant love and respect for them.
When the news of Daniel’s death reached the community the response was immediate. People came from everywhere to help. Our church office was flooded with offers of assistance. People took the initiative to do whatever they could to ease the families’ burden. By Friday morning a candlelight vigil was organized by Daniel’s graduating class and 2500 people gathered in the football stadium to honor his memory and comfort each other. Not surprisingly, it was Dave that stepped forward at the end to thank everyone for coming and to lead us all in closing prayer.
We made the arrangements for the funeral knowing there would be more people coming than we could accommodate in our church facilities. But Temple Baptist Church is home. And so we decided that the visitation and service would be here and we would do our best to include everyone.
In addition to those who maintained a constant vigil at the family home, others worked to prepare the church for the crowd that would come Sunday evening and Monday. The news media called almost immediately for interviews. I called Dave to be sure that speaking to them would not add to their burden or intrude on their grief. His response was as expected: “Go ahead, just tell people about Jesus”.
On Sunday morning I knew things would be different. I was not prepared for just how different they turned out. I teach the collegiate class of which David Jr. and Daniel are active members. We normally have between 6 and 12 attendees. This Sunday we had 40. Many of Daniel’s classmates came in honor of him and we had a great time together. I have heard of young men dying and being honored by their friends at a local bar, but I have never heard of them honoring a fallen friend by going to Sunday School.
Sunday Afternoon saw a steady stream of mourners who came to support the family. From 3:00 until 10:00pm people stood in line for as much as 2 1/2 hours to offer condolences to the family. Dave and Chara never left and personally greeted each one. Our best estimate of the number of visitors was 2500 – 3000 people. Dave and Chara’s Sunday School class provided refreshments for the family and took water to people standing in line. Other members helped direct people for parking and throughout the building. Preparations were made for the service on Monday with video run to overflow rooms to accommodate the anticipated crowd. Everyone was exhausted when the day was done, but we closed with prayer that God would be honored and all would be comforted.
Monday morning saw people taking seats by 9:00 am for the 11:00 am service. All rooms were filled to capacity and no one was turned away. 1000 people came to the service and the presence of God was so strong it was palpable. I do not have the words to describe the worship, only to say that through the service God gave us all grace to comfort our pain and lifted our spirits to declare His glory.
Daniel was buried on the farm where he spent so many days hunting, camping, and enjoying the outdoors. It seemed so appropriate that it’s hard to imagine they would have chosen otherwise.
The purpose of this article is to bring my perspective to all that has taken place and to offer my gratitude to all who made an unbearable situation bearable. To those of our community and church family that helped in so many ways I would simply say, “well done”. You not only did the right thing, you did it the right way. To those who came and wondered “how can they be so strong?” Please know that beginning with Dave and Chara all of us relied on the strength that comes from God.
Being a Christian is not about living a moral life or attending church in the hope that God will bless you by allowing you to avoid the painful realities of life. It is rather about recognizing that we are sinful broken people who live in a sinful and broken world where pain and uncertainty are present daily. We turn to God in the desperation of our own limits and find in Him the fulfillment that comes from true faith. True faith is not just believing. Satan and his demons believe and even tremble, but that belief brings no peace or transformation in their lives. True faith is a humble commitment to God in which we surrender everything and accept anything trusting that His grace will indeed be sufficient for our every need.
The world is full of false Christians who simply believe but when tested crumble under the weight of adversity. We don’t need anymore of that kind of Christian. The reason we are all in such awe of what we have witnessed these past days is because we have seen true faith in action. We have all relied on a power beyond ourselves to guide us through our grief, comfort our pain, and fill our hearts with praise that glorifies God.
The Apostle John said, “that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3).
If you need help, contact me. I will be glad to tell all about what I have seen and heard.
Scott Perry
Senior Pastor
Temple Baptist Church
