“I was in my eight o’clock social work practice class,” recalled Emily Price, a junior social work major from Chattanooga, Tenn. “When Dr. Dottie Myatt (associate professor of elementary education) came in and told us that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center, my first thought was that there had to be some mistake, and then I was in total disbelief that a plane could go into a building like that and all of those people were dead.”

Immediately, a prayer service was held in the university chapel. Students, faculty and staff gathered together in prayer and as one, raised their voices and thoughts to God.

“This is very much a Pearl Harbor kind of day,” Todd Brady, minister to the university, said as he addressed the somber faces of the university family. Students filled the aisles, kneeling on the floor as several faculty members led in prayers of confession, dependency on God and acknowledging this sorrowful time.

“There are a few times in our lives when things happen and we don’t know what the response should be and the only thing we know to do is to pray,” said Brady. “This is something that causes you to stop and really reflect on reality – it puts life in perspective.”

“The chapel service was one of the best things we could have done,” said Price. “When we walked into that room, God was already there to comfort us. We were all scared, and not sure what to expect next, but the prayers prayed by the faculty gave me a sense of safety and the assurance that God was, and is, in control.”

Four days after the fateful attacks, the university family gathered together again for a time of prayer and worship. Focusing on the faithfulness of God, Union President David S. Dockery addressed the group from Lamentations 3:22-24. Dockery focused on questions that he had heard students raise throughout the week, such as “Why is this world the way it is?” – “Is God in control?” and – “Why did this happen?”

Learning from the prophet Jeremiah, Dockery stressed that God is all loving, all powerful, and always faithful.

“While God knew the events of September 11 before they happened, His omniscience does not mean He caused all things,” asserted Dockery. “He also warned against reading the events as apocalyptic signs or as a sign of God’s judgement.”

Recognizing that evil and suffering is a mystery, Dockery urged the Union family to hope in God who brings good out of evil, and to trust in God’s steadfast love, His great faithfulness, and His gift of hope.

“This is a time for faith not fear and hope not despair, even if all of the questions can’t yet be answered,” said Dockery.

The university has continued over the past weeks and months to reach out to the community, providing faculty forums and other opportunities to provide reassurance and information as the war on terrorism progresses.