Journeys
6-21-15
We lived in Charleston, SC from 1988 to 1993. Our two older children were born there at the hospital just down the street from the Emmanuel AME church on Calhoun Street. Cindy served as an associate pastor at Trinity UMC, just three blocks from the Emmanuel church. It is the first African Methodist Episcopal church in this country. It was a break-off from the Methodist church of its day.
The history in this colonial port city was hard for this Nebraskan to comprehend. Cindy’s Trinity UMC celebrated it’s 200 year anniversary while we were there and it was young as churches go for that city. The Civil War began there with the battle of Fort Sumpter.
So my grief is spattered with images of that place. When they said there were nine victims of this hate crime, I wondered if we knew any of them (we did not).
My heart breaks at the thought of nine lives snuffed out. My heart breaks at the thought of this crime being racially motivated; complete strangers killed by a white man because they were black. The anguish grows deeper as the story emerged that the shooter sat in on the Wednesday night bible study for an hour before he stood and started to shoot. Then we find out that the killer was just 21 years old. Just a kid to this old man. Somehow that makes this hole thing just that much more insane.
In my heartache all I know to do at this point is to pray. Pray that those involved may know God’s presence in the midst of their darkest hour. I invite you to join me as I pray for the victims and their families. Pray for the killer’s family. Pray for the Emmanuel AME church family. Pray for the city of Charleston. Pray for the ancient culture that would produce a child that would think its OK to shoot innocent people because their skin color was different than his.
Grace & Peace,
Rev. Kelly
