Category: Pastor Writings

Please gather 9 candles and celebrate this litany as we remember those who died tragically at the hands of a young man who was a member of an ELCA Congregation – baptized, confirmed, and part of the fellowship to which we at Holy Cross also belong. The gravity of these words is real. Repentance is necessary. Remembrance is important. Renewal, and rebirth are demanded. 

Emanuel 9 –9 candles, 9 lives – a Litany of repentance

We light 9 candles, as we speak the names and biographical sketch of each of the 9 victims we call the Emanuel 9

Nine people — three men and six women — were shot and killed during a prayer meeting Wednesday night, June 17, 2015 at Emanuel A.M.E. church in Charleston, South Carolina. These 9 people, were all African-American members of the AME Church. Eight died at the scene; the ninth, Daniel Simmons, died at MUSC Medical Center. They were all killed by multiple gunshots fired at close range. Those killed were identified as:

Clementa C. Pinckney (41) – the church’s pastor and a South Carolina state senator. Pinckney graduated from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina and two years later was appointed pastor of “Mother Emanuel” the oldest AME church in the South, where early 19th century anti-slavery resistance leader Denmark Vesey had been active.

We light one candle and pray “thank you Lord for this life, this legacy. Have mercy on us all as we mourn his passing – Lord, hear our prayer”

Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd (54) – a Bible study member and manager for the Charleston County Public Library system; sister of former state senator Malcolm Graham. Hurd graduated from Clark Atlanta University and received her MLS from the University of South Carolina. She lived with her husband, Steve Hurd, on Charleston’s east side. She would have turned 55 on June 21.

We light a second candle and pray “thank you Lord for this life, this legacy. Have mercy on us all as we mourn her passing – Lord, hear our prayer”

Susie Jackson, 87, A member of Emanuel AME Church for many years, Jackson was a fixture at Sunday services and Wednesday night Bible studies. She served as a trustee and as an usher. She sang in the adult choir for many years and later enjoyed being a member of the church’s senior citizens group.

We light a third candle and pray “thank you Lord for this life, this legacy. Have mercy on us all as we mourn her passing – Lord, hear our prayer”

Ethel Lee Lance (70) – Ethel Lance loved to dress up and take her family to see performances at the Gaillard Municipal Auditorium when she wasn’t on duty there as a custodian. She also was a custodian at the church for roughly 30 years, but on Wednesday she was there as a faithful member of the congregation. Lance, grew up in Charleston and raised five children in West Ashley.

We light a fourth candle and pray “thank you Lord for this life, this legacy. Have mercy on us all as we mourn her passing – Lord, hear our prayer”

Depayne Middleton-Doctor (49) – DePayne Middleton-Doctor was the middle child of three daughters born to the Rev. Leroy and Mrs. Frances Middleton. Her father was an AME minister. DePayne discerned her own calling to ministry, first to a Baptist denomination, and later to the AME denomination. She was completing requirements for that ordination partly by attending that Wednesday night bible study.”

We light a fifth and pray “thank you Lord for this life, this legacy. Have mercy on us all as we mourn her passing – Lord, hear our prayer”

Tywanza Sanders (26) – a Bible study member; grandnephew of victim Susie Jackson. He was the youngest victim. Tywanza gets very little press in our society, a well behaved, church attending black man. But Tywanza uttered a phrase that night that speaks volumes. Why are you doing this? He asked the gunman. He received no answer.

We light a sixth candle and pray “thank you Lord for this life, this legacy. Have mercy on us all as we mourn his passing – Lord, hear our prayer”

Daniel L. Simmons (74) – the Reverend Daniel Simmons, Sr. was a fourth generation preacher who worked diligently to expand the AME Church. Simmons and his wife Annie Graham Simmons had two children, Daniel and Rose Ann Simmons. He earned a B.A. in Education Administration and a Master’s degree in Social Work before completing his Master of Divinity from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia.

We light a seventh candle and pray “thank you Lord for this life, this legacy. Have mercy on us all as we mourn his passing – Lord, hear our prayer”

Sharonda Coleman-Singleton (45) – was a graduate of SC State University and worked as a school speech and language pathologist, She was a track coach at Goose Creek High School. Pastor Coleman-Singleton was a mother of three children, Christopher, Carmyn, and Caleb. She was an ordained minister at the church in which she died.

We light an 8th candle and pray “thank you Lord for this life, this legacy. Have mercy on us all as we mourn her passing – Lord, hear our prayer”

Myra Thompson (59) – Myra Thompson Charleston educator was killed while teaching the bible study class at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Mrs. Thompson was a pastor and a life-long educator and learner who earned two Masters in Education degrees from The Citadel graduate college. She was married to Reverend Anthony Thompson, and had three children, 11 brothers, three sisters and a large extended family.

We light a ninth candle and pray “thank you Lord for this life, this legacy. Have mercy on us all as we mourn her passing – Lord, hear our prayer”

 

These 9 people, victims of a terrible shooting, were later collectively referred to as “The Charleston Nine” and “The Emanuel Nine”.

May your commemoration of this day remind you, and rekindle in you a desire to change the world. Amen