The National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA expresses its deep sadness at the news of the mass killings last night at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. We extend prayers to the families of Rev. Clementa Pinckney, his sister, and all others who died in another senseless mass shooting in our nation.
Every death as a result of gun violence personally affects the churches in this country, but these shootings are felt even more personally by members of the National Council of Churches as the African Methodist Episcopal Church is a founding member denomination and has three representatives on the Governing Board, including Rev. William Miller, pastor of St. John AME, just west of Charleston.
We pray the assailant will be apprehended as soon as possible and brought into custody. We pray the motives behind this horrible act will be discovered, and that we as a society may finally draw lessons from it that bring life to our nation. We pray the families of Rev. Pinckney, his sister, and others who were killed are finding comfort in Jesus at this moment. We pray the members of the congregation will find aid and help in the Lord.
All of us together through the National Council of Churches provide a network of prayer around Emanuel Church and all in the AME family as they weep and mourn those who have been lost.
And, we pray that this tragedy will finally result in action by state, local, and national officials to address and end the rampant gun violence in our nation.
###
Statements by NCC Member Communions and affiliated organizations:
- African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church
- Alliance of Baptists
- American Baptist Church
- Bread for the World
- Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church
- Church of the Brethren
- Community of Christ
- Episcopal Church
- Episcopal Church General Convention
- Episcopal Church in South Carolina
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
- Faiths United Against Gun Violence
- Greek Orthodox Archdiocese
- National Baptist Convention USA, Inc.
- Orthodox Church in America
- South Carolina Christian Action Council
- Southern California Ecumenical Council
- Presbyterian Church USA
- United Methodist Church
- World Council of Churches
- World Methodist Council
- World Student Christian Federation
Other important statements:
- Church of God in Christ
- Mennonite Central Committee
- Mennonite Church USA
- South Carolina Christian Action Council
This list will be updated as new statements are released.
– See more at: http://54.89.191.29/news/2015-6_Charleston.php#sthash.cT6k6yia.dpuf