09/12/2026
This is so beautifully written in honor of those who lost their lives 25 years ago.
NEVER FORGET.
A note from our pastors:
In 2013, John and I had the opportunity to visit the 9/11 Memorial in New York City. No words can fully describe the heaviness I felt as I looked upon the 2,977 names engraved on that memorial.
Among those names, I noticed a single white rose.
That single white rose became, to me, a reminder and representation of that day—a simple memorial to one woman, one family, and one nation forever changed.
When I took the picture, I didn’t know Shelly A. Marshall. What I knew was that she was one of the 2,977 people who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, when one of four planes, hijacked by Islamic terrorists were flown into the Pentagon, the World Trade Center, and one that crashed in Pennsylvania on route to Washington D.C.
On that day, a husband and two children received the most devastating news they would ever receive: a wife and mother would not be coming home that day—or any other day.
Shelly’s life ended, along with the lives of 2,976 others.
My daughter, Jacqualyn, quickly found Shelly’s name and her story. Shelly was 38 years old when she died. On November 16, she would have turned 63. Her children are adults now.
Shelly’s picture shows a woman radiating with life—a beaming smile and big, sparkly earrings. There was something about that picture that reminded us that behind every name on that memorial was a person. A life. A family. A story.
Jacqualyn wrote: “Let us not forget to wear our best sparkly earrings and read a bedtime story to our children in honor of Shelly A. Marshall, whose life was tragically taken in the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Let us also carry the heroism and selfless strength that Welles R. Crowther carried with him when the plane hit the South Tower. Welles responded by covering his nose and mouth with his red bandana and began helping survivors down 78 floors to safety. Instead of remaining with them, he returned into the inferno to help others. He died when the South Tower collapsed. He was 24 years old.”
Two people. Two stories. Two lives that remind us that in the face of unimaginable evil, courage, love, and selflessness can still shine brightly.
September 11 reminds us of just how vulnerable we are. It reminds us that human hearts and minds can become so dark and depraved that people can become obedient to evil.
But it also reminds us where our hope must be found.
Our hope is not found in this world. Our hope is found in Jesus Christ—the Cornerstone of our existence and the Light that overcomes the darkness.
Today we pray for those who carry the memory of their loved ones who died on September 11, 2001. We pray for our service men and women who gave their lives in the war on terror following the attacks. And we pray for a revival in our nation and a revival in the heart of man to turn away from evil and turn back to God.
Pastor John and Deb
