FAME Pastor J. Edgar Boyd addresses audience as nine candles burn in honor of the nine victims in Charleston.
(Clayton Everett/FAME Church photo)
The horrific murders at Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina drew quick reaction throughout Southern California, especially amongst members of the faith community.
Prayer vigils crossed denominational lines as African Methodists, Baptists, members of the Jewish faith, United Methodists and independent ministries issued calls for members to collectively appeal to God for peace and consolation for the families of the victims. In addition, hundreds of people gathered on June 18 at First A.M.E. Church (FAME) for the prayer vigil jointly sponsored by FAME and Temple Isaiah.
The tragedy has raised questions surrounding church security and the potential of white-on-black hate crimes occurring in other houses of worship. However, many clergy have cautioned that the response must be approached with balance and non-discrimination.
“The church would not be living up to biblical principles if we would have some kind of closed-door to other ethnic groups. Out of one blood, God made all nations,” said Bishop T. Larry Kirkland, Sr., presiding prelate of the Fifth District of the A.M.E. Church.
“We want to be open and welcome to ‘whosoever will come.’ At the same time, we must have people who are observant and watching.”
“The church needs to be prepared. When I was pastor of Brookins Community A.M.E. Church, we had an organization of retired law enforcement officials and they watched everything,” he said.
Retired U.S. Rep. Diane Watson, Rev. Judi Wortham-Sauls and FAME First Lady Florence Boyd attend the prayer vigil.
(Clayton Everett/FAME Church photo)
The Rev. Xavier L. Thompson, president of the Baptist Ministers Conference of Los Angeles and Southern California, said that the Body of Christ and faith-based community will have to make appropriate adjustments to minister to the people during these tough times.
“Government and other agencies made adjustments after 9/11. It is incumbent upon the church that we also be wise and adjust. It’s a delicate walk. While we’re here to serve the community and society, we can increase security without compromising or discriminating against others. We have to do it due to the times we live in,” Thompson, who is also pastor of Southern Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, said.
For many faith leaders, responding to this crisis is a delicate approach indeed.
“The Bible says, ‘Whosoever come, let them come,’ so we must not allow terrorists to change the method that God has given us to bring in new converts into the kingdom of heaven. The terrorists win when they use the weapon of fear to change the context of our worship,” insisted Pastor Mark E. Whitlock, Jr., of Christ Our Redeemer A.M.E. Church in Irvine.
“I’m not suggesting that we should not have security. We must have security in light of events such as the World Trade Center being blown up. But, we must not be uncomfortable with people of different races, cultures, or religions. Once we do that, then we have become victims of terrorists,” he added.
In place of fear, religious leaders urged faith, courage and perseverance in the fight against hate.
“We’ve had strong, strong struggles and if we continue to struggle, things will get better. You must have faith and believe,” Kirkland said.
I tell our people, ‘Don’t panic. We’ve been here before.’ We dealt with Martin Luther King being murdered in Memphis and the four girls murdered in 16th Street Church (in Birmingham, AL). We survived and we are still going to survive. Don’t give up the faith. God is still alive.”
Pastor Rosalynn Brookins of Walker Temple A.M.E. Church said, “We are a people of great faith and resilience. As the days come and go, let us hold fast to the thought so commonly used by the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, ‘that we shall someday overcome.’”
The men of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity lead prayer outside the Emanuel AME Church on Friday June 19, after a memorial in Charleston. The brick Gothic revival edifice, completed in 1891 was a stop for Booker T. Washington and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Locally, Los Angeles faith leaders have reacted to the tragedy through prayer vigils and questions about church security.
(Stephen B. Morton AP)
“We draw strength from the history and resiliency of Mother Emanuel AME Church. Moreover, we draw assurance from the name and meaning of ‘Emmanuel,’ God is with us! No act of destruction or dehumanization can deprive us from divine accompaniment,” declared Pastor Kelvin Sauls of Holman United Methodist Church.
“No ideology or theology can separate us from divine solidarity. With troubled and tumultuous hearts, let us renew our focus and fortitude to continue to build a global movement of non-violent resistance from this intersection of mutual pain. Now more than ever, black lives matter!”
Ministers also encouraged people to view the tragedy in a spiritual context and learn from it. Thompson said, “This is bigger than just black and white. We’re in a contest between good and evil.
“The scriptures remind us in Ephesians 6 that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers. This is a spiritual fight.
“My prayer is that we will experience a healing in the land because the land is sick. We need God to heal our land as it says in 2 Chronicles 7:14. Jesus is the answer to the woes that we have.”
Offering similar insight, Pastor Velma Union of The Lord’s Church said, “With this act, God is warning the Church that if we, as God’s people, will humble ourselves and pray, and turn from our ways that seem right to man, and pray, then the same God who caused Barack Obama to be president will heal this land.”
