Philip Yancey, best-selling author of Where Is God When It Hurts?, will visit with those affected by the Dec. 14 Newtown, Conn., school shooting.

Addressing the question posed in the title of his book, Yancey will participate in a free, open-to-the-public weekend event Dec. 28-30 at Walnut Hill Community Church’s Bethel campus just outside Newtown. He and the church’s senior pastor, Clive Calver, will meet with the community’s families, teachers, first responders, parents and students who have been deeply affected by the tragedy.

“Healing and comfort—that’s what I want most for those dear people,” Yancey said. “Words can only do so much, and certainly cannot take away the pain, yet I hope that this event could be a place of safety and honesty where people can bring their grief and come away with a new appreciation for why the gospel is good news—even now, especially now.”

Attendees will be able to participate in a question-and-answer session as well.

“I am humbled to know that a member of our Zondervan author family has been asked to help comfort the community of Newtown,” said Mark Schoenwald, president and CEO of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. “Asking ‘Where is God in all of this?’ is something many people in our nation are currently doing. I pray that Philip Yancey’s words will help these families heal.”

Zondervan, who published Where Is God When It Hurts?, will be providing free copies of the book for individuals who attend the event. In addition, the e-book edition is available in the U.S. for free download on various websites—Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Christian Book Distributors, Google and Kobo—until Jan. 2.

“We are eager to help and show our support for this community,” Schoenwald added.  “Newtown is in the hearts and minds of everyone at Zondervan and all of the HarperCollins Christian Publishing division. We hope that by providing this resource, some comfort will be found and emotional wounds can begin to mend.”

Twenty children and six adults died as a result of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

Yancey will also speak at two Sunday services. For more information on the event, go to www.walnuthillcc.org.