Barron church delivers message of healing during Sunday morning service
BARRON, Wisc. (FOX 9) - While authorities prepare for the case against Jake Patterson, the community of Barron is still rejoicing the return of Jayme Closs.
A local church dedicated its Sunday morning service to Closs, who escaped from her captor Thursday afternoon.
The service focused on healing and the First Baptist Church says that’s what the power of prayer is all about.
Many who attend First Baptist in Barron knew the Closs family and some teenagers there are classmates with Closs.
Now, they say it’s the community’s job to be as supportive and loving as they can.
As the congregation gathered for Sunday services, there was a collective joy from worshippers as they sang and opened in prayer.
For everyone there, the power of prayer and hope was clearly important.
“You just keep praying and praying and praying and it’s so awesome that they got their miracle,” said Pastor Floyd Lunde, who said the tragic events of three months ago down the street from the church rocked his congregation.
Lunde told families Sunday morning that Closs and her extended family need people to remain positive, especially because the 13-year-old has no parents waiting for her with open arms.
“These two who were killed just a mile down the road from here, their families need our prayers,” Lunde said. “They need our help.”
Debby Gander worked at the Jennie-O Turkey Plant with James and Denise Closs for more than 20 years.
“Both Jim and Denise were amazing workers,” she said. “They were the kind of people that you could always count on to show up for work and always take the overtime. Just hard working people.”
Gander was devastated to learn of their horrific deaths and the abduction of Jayme.
She says the tight-knit town was changed forever Oct. 15, but she and the rest of the First Baptists family vowed to stand beside Jayme as she rebuilds her life.
“Part of our role as a church, part of our role as Christians, is to love on her and her family,” Gander said.