Senior Pastor Remembers Slain Colleague, Friend

Vigil schedule for 7:30 p.m. Friday

The senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Arlington discussed his the slaying of his colleague and friend, the Rev. Clint Dobson.

Dobson was found dead inside the church Thursday afternoon. His assistant, Judy Elliott, was severely beaten.

In a news conference Friday at NorthPointe Baptist Church, the Rev. Dr. Dennis Wiles said Dobson was a wonderful, vibrant young preacher whom he first met when Dobson was a student of his at Baylor University.

He said he handpicked Dobson to lead NorthPointe, a satellite campus to First Baptist, saying he believed he was the perfect man to lead the young church and that Dobson felt similarly.

"Clint was one of those guys who had a real strong sense of social justice," Wiles said. "He was a fine, young preacher, but a much better person. He was our friend and our brother in Christ. We're saddened, shocked, by what has happened."

After moving to Arlington, Dobson met and married Laura Rozeman, Wiles said.

"Our prayers are with Laura Dobson as she deals with the reality of losing her husband. We are praying for Clint’s parents and the rest of his family," Wiles said in a statement on the FBCA website.

"We're also praying for whoever did this ... that whoever did this, that God will be redemptive," said Wiles. "It just reminds us of the brokenness of humanity. Obviously, a person who could, in the middle of the day, make their way into a church and do whatever -- it's just a lot of brokenness."

He said that Elliott was still in the hospital but was doing better and is more stable than was first reported.

NorthPointe congregation shaken

Members of the church stood hand-in-hand in front of the church Friday, struggling to deal with the shocking loss.

"I love Clint like he was my very own son," Lida Cummings said.

"He was such a wonderful person," she said. "And I know he's going to be a great angel for the Lord."

Church members said Ellliot, a grandmother, wife and dedicated Christian, is the first person you see as you walk through the church's front doors.

"She was a joy," she said. "She was a mother hen to everybody."

Wiles said the congregation of NorthPointe is small and skews young. He said the church averages about 70 attendees to Sunday service and hoped to speak to the congregation during this Sunday's service, which is still scheduled.

Prayer vigil for Dobson

Arlington police said that Dobson was a member of the Arlington Clergy And Police Partnership and worked closely with the department.

Because of his role in the community and their personal relationship, ACAPP will hold a prayer vigil at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the NorthPoint Baptist Church parking lot. The vigil is open to the community, congregants and anyone in need of prayer.

$10,000 reward in the case

Oak Farms Dairy is offering a reward of $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and grand jury indictment in the case. Anyone with information is asked to call the Arlington police. The reward offer will remain in force until Sept. 4.

Investigators have not revealed any further information on Dobson's cause of death other than to say that both victims were assaulted.  The Tarrant County Medical Examiner anticipates releasing the cause of death on Monday.

Police are still searching for the Elliott's missing car, a cream-colored, four-door Mitsubishi Galant with Texas license plate DFR-352.

Police said some items were missing from the church and that robbery could be a motive.

NBC DFW's Ashanti Blaize contributed to this report.

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