Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2021 Blog Number 9

March 1, 2021

Trauma in Boonton

My daughter, Rev. Leah Ennis participated in a memorial “drop-in” vigil in Boonton, the town where she pastors the First Reformed Church of Boonton. The whole town is in grief because of a tragedy that the town suffered. I hope that everyone reading this will be praying for a grief-stricken family as well as the town of Boonton.

Something horrible happened in that small town. A mother and her two sons went to the local park to feed ducks. Area residents report that this was common for the three of them. These three came there to relax. They were struggling with life as the husband and father of the family struggles with stage four cancer and the park is a pleasant place to relax, feed the ducks, and forget their troubles.

During this last trip, which proved fatal, the older boy, just 11 years old, slipped into the water. His mother jumped in to rescue the boy. Not long afterward, other visitors found the six-year-old boy wandering by himself. The police were called and the bodies of the mother and older brother were found in the water, diseased.

Now a family, and all of Boonton is in mourning because of this senseless tragedy. A family has now been stricken with cancer and with two sudden deaths. I can’t imagine the trauma that this little six-year-old is suffering.

I ask that you keep the Syed family in your prayers. Especially pray for the unnamed six-year-old boy who witnessed all of this. Your prayers are also needed for the first responders. One of the rescuers is known to Rev. Leah. He and the other members of the crew are very upset. Trauma does tend to spread. Please keep them all in your prayers that they may heal.

#ClintonAvenueReformedChurch                         #ReformedChurchInAmerica                    

#PastorMarkAuthordotcom                                    #BergenfieldNJ

#BergenCountyNJ                                                   #Tragedy

#Grief                                                                         #FirstReformedChurchBoonton

To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please order a copy of his book:https://deepriverbooks.com/books/the-circle-of-seven/