Family, friends, and the general public continue to mourn the murder of Corey Comperatore, a former firefighter who died Saturday during the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
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Hundreds of people attended a candlelight vigil, which featured songs, testimonials, and prayer, Wednesday night at Lernersville Speedway in Sarver, Pennsylvania, to remember and celebrate Comperatore’s life.
Among them was Pastor John Neyman, a local preacher with ties to the community. Neyman was invited to speak at the event, and he told CBN News he shared an important message about the power of forgiveness and of Comperatore’s courage.
Comperatore died while laying over his wife and daughters in an effort to shield them from gunfire.
Neyman did not know Comperatore personally, but said the former firefighter’s friends and loved ones described him as a man who truly loved his family.
“Cory loved family,” Neyman said, citing comments from Comperatore’s best friend. “He loved Jesus, and he loved the freedom that we have in the United States.”
This sentiment was echoed in a statement released to CBN News Friday from the Comperatore family, in which the loving father was described as a “committed Christian who found peace and joy through [his] church.”
“He loved and cared for us, his family,” the family wrote. “Our family is finding comfort and peace through the heartfelt messages of encouragement from people around the world, through the support of our church and community and, most of all, through the strength of God.”
Watch Neyman discuss Comperatore and the vigil:
Neyman, reflecting on the event, said it was powerful hearing from those who knew Comperatore and who spoke about his wonderful character and kindness, calling him a “man who was full of life.”
Neyman said he shared verses from Psalm 23 and Psalm 46, reminding those in attendance God is their refuge and strength.
“I wanted to bring that to bear upon them,” he said. “I wanted to bring the point that we don’t want to stuff our feelings. There’s so many emotions and fears now, and a lot of people saw things that day that no one should ever see except for maybe in war or something. And so we have to bring these feelings out. We have to talk about it. We have to share.”
One message Neyman wanted to drive home in his CBN News interview was the importance of forgiving others.
“We have to make sure that we forgive,” he said. “That’s all part of being a Christian, and, right now, people are struggling, but we have to forgive one another and forgive those who may hurt us deeply.”
Neyman attended past Trump rallies and considered being in Butler, Pennsylvania, the night of the attempted assassination before opting out of the event.
“My cousin’s daughter was there. … she goes to our church,” he said. “She was volunteering there and she said, ‘You got to pray for us. It’s awful. And can you call my mom and tell her we’re [OK]. I can’t get through to her.'”
Neyman knew others who were there as well. Less than a week after the event, he said the community is “banding together” and coping with what unfolded.
The vigil is just one way the community decided to mourn and honor those impacted.
Ultimately, Neyman wants the community to remember “God indeed truly is sovereign,” regardless of what happens. The preacher wants to inspire people to live in truth and live fully for Jesus.
“God is in control,” he said. “We have to trust that. We have to trust that God and His goodness, God and His wisdom, God and what His plan and purpose was for Corey or for any of this. We have to remember that we are here for God and Corey … he gave us a good model for that.”
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