The horrific, racially charged shooting that took place last week in the historic Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., and took the lives of nine individuals who were gathered for Bible Study and prayer, has not only rocked the local community, but the nation as a whole.
The heinous acts of accused shooter Dylann Roof on June 17 have not only robbed individuals and congregations of their place for solace, but of their peace of mind as well.
When he took the lives of the church’s pastor, Rev. Clementa Pinckney along with Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Cynthia Hurd, Tywanza Sanders, Myra Thompson, Ethel Lee Lance, Rev. Daniel L. Simmons, Rev. Depayne Middleton-Doctor and Susie Jackson he took a piece of the nation’s heart.
Since the shooting, several issues have been at the forefront of many local pastors’ minds, the main one being church security.
Reverend Dr. Steven Jackson, pastor of Bethel AME Church, the historic Hill District Church that is known as the oldest Black church in the area, said that while last week’s incident has left the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the country as a whole, shocked and hurt, security in churches is an issue that needs to be addressed.
“We have got to take a serious look at security in all of our churches, anyone could walk in. But we have to look at a couple of things; should we lock doors and impede people or do we keep it open and pray?” A church is supposed to be open, a welcoming place for all.
Although he refuses to lock the doors of the spiritual edifice, Rev. Jackson said he will be more alert and will warn his members to do the same. He said that some AME churches around the country have even gone as far as hiring private security for their services and other events.
While he won’t go that far, Rev. Jackson said he would seek assistance from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police by asking Zone 2 Commander Eric Holmes to increase patrols around the church.
Like Rev. Jackson, Rev. Glenn Grayson, pastor of Wesley Center AMEZ Church in the Hill District, said he would not be locking church doors either. He said, “It’s mind boggling to imagine someone fellowshipping with you for a whole hour and then intentionally having enough hatred or mental illness in their spirit to brutality kill nine people, and leave one alive to tell the story.”
While he is conscious of the need for safety and struggles with what to do, Rev. Grayson said the church should be a welcoming place and to prejudge someone from the door and say they can’t come in is “not what Jesus would want.”
Along with church security, many local leaders are seeing this as time to discuss the lingering topic of gun reform. Many view guns as being too easily accessible. Even President Obama addressed the need for reforms when commenting on the shooting.
According to reports, Roof exhibited signs of instability prior to the incident.
Reverend Grayson, who lost his son to gun violence and attended college at the same time as one of the victims, said, “Again innocent lives were taken senselessly through gun violence. Those nine people represented a fragment of the world. They say every day 34 people lose their life to gun violence, which speaks of the world we’re in.” He went on to say, “It’s sad that what the overall society wants, Congress can still vote it down. People want better gun laws, people want the dangerous and mentally ill to not have such quick access, people want more accountability and people want consequences for frivolous security of people’s weapons.”
Reverend Dr. James McLemore, presiding elder of the Pittsburgh Conference of the AME Church, said that it’s past time for legislators to pass reforms for stricter gun legislation.
“We need gun control. And I think that we need to demand it of our legislators, not ask it, but demand it. It’s our children getting killed. It’s our lives being threatened. It’s our churches being damaged,” Rev. McLemore said. “It’s past conversation. We need to push the issue and stand up.”
While Roof has been captured and the justice process has begun, what will it take to heal the wound of this nation?
Both Rev. Jackson and McLemore agree that it will take prayer. The day after the shooting, AME churches, and churches of other denominations, across the country held prayer vigils.
But Rev. Jackson believes it goes beyond that. He said it takes education and engaging in conversations about the issues at hand. “The key to this and the key to racism is education.
We have to get to know each other; we have to quit dealing with stereotypes and such. We have to sit down at the table, and it can’t just be politicians and clergy; we’ve got to include the business community in this—everybody has to come to the table.”
Like Rev. Jackson, Rev. Grayson believes it takes more. Since the incident and the reports of Roof’s obsession with the Confederate Flag, many, including South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, have called for the symbol of racism to come down from the State’s Capitol building. Petitions have even been circulating.
Reverend Grayson said that unfortunately, often times for major change to come, it historically takes a sacrifice of a life; he referenced the story of Jesus. While it cannot bring back the nine individuals who so innocently lost their lives, he said by taking down the flag that represents racism, “it would bring some solace and spirit to not only the victims’ families, but to African Americans who understand the suffering that it represents in South Carolina and as an image around the world.”
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