Saddleback Church

When in pain, pray. When you worry, worship. When in grief, share it in your small group. The Facebook post, sent in the early morning hours Friday by famed pastor Rick Warren, was short on words but deep in meaning. Since the suicide death of his son a week earlier, the pastor of Orange County's sprawling Saddleback Church has indeed been sharing his grief. But his "small group" includes not only his parishioners, but nearly a million Twitter followers as well as those who read his Facebook page.

"Home Run" is the heartfelt and deeply religious story of a baseball star's struggle with alcoholism and the Christian faith-based recovery group that gets him through. The first moments seem promising as images of a peaceful stretch of farm country fill up the screen. A weathered red barn sits in the distance next to a sprawling white farmhouse with a wraparound porch. But as the camera goes in close, something is wrong - the red is too red, the worn spots too worn. The metaphor is seriously overplayed and we are only in the first inning.

Rick Warren said it's been difficult to deal with some of the hate mail and online comments he's read since announcing Saturday that his son had committed suicide. "Grieving is hard. Grieving as public figures, harder. Grieving while haters celebrate your pain, hardest," Warren wrote on Facebook on Monday night. Warren has been deluged with words of support both at his Saddleback Church in Orange County and on the Web. “Kay and I are overwhelmed by your love, prayers, and kind words,” the pastor wrote.

Pastor Rick Warren and his wife have launched a petition about mental illness after their son's suicide. “Join Kay and I, and the Saddleback Family, in our effort to urge educators, lawmakers, healthcare professionals, and church congregations to raise the awareness and lower the stigma of mental illness … and support the families that deal with mental illness on a daily basis,” the petition reads. Matthew Warren, 27, shot himself April 5 at his home in Mission Viejo.

Nearly 4,000 people gathered at UC Irvine on Monday to welcome the newest leader of Orange County's nearly 1.3 million Catholics. A former medical lab technician with a penchant for the piano, Bishop Kevin W. Vann, 61, was welcomed with wild applause throughout much of the two-hour ceremony, particularly after he was led to the cathedra, or bishop's chair, by Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez. Greeting the crowd in Spanish, Vietnamese and Korean, Vann spoke of his Illinois upbringing near the Mississippi River and his journey out West.

The morning after Pastor Rick Warren interviewed both major presidential candidates at his evangelical church in Orange County, he delivered a Sunday sermon urging his congregation to judge Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain on how their characters would affect their decisions as leaders. "Don't just look at issues, look at character," Warren said to a crowd of nearly 3,000 during one of two morning sermons at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest. "Look at the candidate and say, 'Does he live with integrity, service with humility, share with generosity, or not?

Rick Warren released an emotional message to his congregation in which he paid tribute to his son Matthew Warren, who committed suicide. Warren's statement came as other high-profile religious leaders offered their support to the famed pastor. In his statement, Warren talked about how “only those closest knew that he struggled from birth with mental illness, dark holes of depression , even suicidal thoughts.” Matthew Warren, 27, died Saturday after battling depression for much of his life, the leader of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest said in his statement.

Pastor Rick Warren's family has opted for a private memorial service for their son Matthew, who killed himself late last week at their Orange County home, a church spokeswoman said Tuesday. “Your kind words and sensitive notes to Kay and me have been such a blessing and encouragement,” Warren said in a statement. “Many are asking about a funeral, and our family decided on a simple private memorial. "Please continue to pray for the entire family.” Warren is pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest and a nationally known evangelist and author of "The Purpose-Driven Life.

Favorite Broadway hits from musicals including "My Fair Lady" and "West Side Story" will be played by the Aliso Viejo Symphony at a 3 p.m. matinee Sunday at Saddleback Church. Admission is $15; $12 for students and seniors. Saddleback Church is at 1 Saddleback Parkway. Information and tickets: (714) 731-8079.

The youngest son of Pastor Rick Warren  died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, an autopsy conducted Monday determined, but officials say they are still investigating whose weapon was used. Jim Amormino, an Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman, said Matthew Warren died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound about 10 a.m. Friday at his home in Mission Viejo. Such autopsies are usually performed when suicide is suspected, authorities said Saturday afternoon. Amormino said coroner's officials are not releasing the type of weapon used and are still investigating the origins and ownership of the gun. Matthew Warren was found at his home on Pradera Drive about 5:25 p.m. Friday, according to coroner's officials.

It will be “nearly impossible” to trace where pastor Rick Warren's son bought the shotgun he used to take his own life last week, an Orange County Sheriff's Department official said. The gun that 27-year-old Matthew Warren used to shoot himself in his Mission Viejo home on April 5 was unregistered, had its serial numbers scratched off and was purchased online, said department spokesman Jim Amormino. A source close to the investigation confirmed it was a shotgun. “It's going to be nearly impossible to trace where he bought the weapon or who owned it previously,” Amormino told The Times.

When in pain, pray. When you worry, worship. When in grief, share it in your small group. The Facebook post, sent in the early morning hours Friday by famed pastor Rick Warren, was short on words but deep in meaning. Since the suicide of his son a week earlier, the pastor of Orange County's sprawling Saddleback Church is indeed sharing his grief. But his “small group” includes not only his parishioners, but nearly a million Twitter followers as well as those who read his Facebook page.

When in pain, pray. When you worry, worship. When in grief, share it in your small group. The Facebook post, sent in the early morning hours Friday by famed pastor Rick Warren, was short on words but deep in meaning. Since the suicide death of his son a week earlier, the pastor of Orange County's sprawling Saddleback Church has indeed been sharing his grief. But his "small group" includes not only his parishioners, but nearly a million Twitter followers as well as those who read his Facebook page.

Rick Warren said on Twitter Thursday that he forgives the person who sold his son the gun he used to kill himself. Warren revealed Thursday that the gun was purchased  on the Internet and was not registered. "Someone on the internet sold Matthew an unregistered gun.I pray he seeks God's forgiveness. I forgive him. #MATTHEW 6:15" Warren later wrote on Twitter: "God never allows more on you than he puts in you to bear it. " Sheriff's Department records show no one in the Warren family is registered to carry a concealed weapon in Orange County, and authorities have said they were struggling to determine where 27-year-old Matthew Warren obtained the weapon.

The gun Rick Warren's son used to kill himself was unregistered and purchased on the Internet, the pastor tweeted Thursday afternoon. Warren's tweet read: Someone on the internet sold Matthew an unregistered gun.I pray he seeks God's forgiveness. I forgive him. #MATTHEW 6:15 - Rick Warren (@RickWarren) April 11, 2013 Sheriff's Department records show no one in the Warren family is registered to carry a concealed weapon in Orange County, and authorities have said they were struggling to determine where 27-year-old Matthew Warren obtained the weapon.

Police do not know where Pastor Rick Warren's son got the gun he used to commit suicide, an Orange County Sheriff's Department official said Wednesday. Matthew Warren, 27, was "probably not" the owner of the weapon he used to shoot himself about 10 a.m. Friday in his Mission Viejo home, department spokesman Jim Amormino said. Investigators are trying to determine how he got it. A source close to the investigation said Warren used a shotgun. The Sheriff's Department declined to comment.

Friends rallied to the side of Rick Warren on Sunday, a day after the famed pastor's 27-year-old son committed suicide. "There were the days where he was just bubbly, outgoing, effervescent, reaching out to people," Mike Constantz, a close friend of the Warrens, told CNN of Matthew Warren. "And there were the days where he just didn't want to be around people. Just the pain, the excruciating pain was just too much. " The younger Warren had suffered from emotional problems, his father said in a statement on the death.

Rick Warren said it's been difficult to deal with some of the hate mail and online comments he's read since announcing Saturday that his son had committed suicide. "Grieving is hard. Grieving as public figures, harder. Grieving while haters celebrate your pain, hardest," Warren wrote on Facebook on Monday night. Warren has been deluged with words of support both at his Saddleback Church in Orange County and on the Web. “Kay and I are overwhelmed by your love, prayers, and kind words,” the pastor wrote.

Pastor Rick Warren's family has opted for a private memorial service for their son Matthew, who killed himself late last week at their Orange County home, a church spokeswoman said Tuesday. “Your kind words and sensitive notes to Kay and me have been such a blessing and encouragement,” Warren said in a statement. “Many are asking about a funeral, and our family decided on a simple private memorial. "Please continue to pray for the entire family.” Warren is pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest and a nationally known evangelist and author of "The Purpose-Driven Life.