Presbyterian Church (USA) gives a statement on the shooting in Charleston, SC
Bishop Charles G. vonRosenberg of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina gives a statement on the shooting in Charleston
A brief statement from General Minister and President Sharon Watkins (CC/DOC) on the shooting in Charleston, SC
CME Senior Bishop Lawrence Reddick gives a statement on the shooting in Charleston, SC
The Episcopal Church offers a prayer for peace and justice
A Statement from the UMC South Eastern Jurisdiction Council of Bishops:
"The College of Bishops of the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church stands with our Methodist family at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, with our brother Bishop Richard Franklin Morris of the Seventh Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and with our colleague Bishop Jonathan Holston, of the South Carolina Conference.
We condemn this act of violence in the house of the Lord. We commit ourselves anew to the work of reconciliation in the midst of hatred. And we lift high the cross of Jesus Christ, as God's witness to the violence and division that is our human condition.
Please join us in acts of prayer, compassion and justice on behalf of our Pan-Methodist sisters and brothers."
A Statement From President of the Moravian Church to the ministers:
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
I invite your ongoing prayers for the family members of the victims of violence at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. I also invite your prayers for our nation as we address the systemic racism and violence that permeates our culture.
Last night I attended a prayer vigil at an ELCA congregation on the south side of Bethlehem, PA. As we gathered, and lit a candle for each of the nine victims, we prayed for the family members, we prayed for the shooter, we struggled to forgive as the family members had already forgiven, we sang, and we pledged to remain silent no more. As I prayed, I could not fathom how a human being, who had spent an hour in a Bible Study learning about God’s love with other human beings, could pull out a gun and shoot those who had welcomed him. We were about thirty people of varied ethnic backgrounds. As I looked around, I realized the same vicious act of hate could have occurred in our midst; one of us could have been the perpetrator, and many of us could have been victims.
Brothers and sisters, we must join together, hand in hand – as Christians, as people of all races, as people of all faiths or no faith, as Republicans and Democrats – to condemn attitudes of racial hatred and the acceptance of violence against one another. We must remember that all lives matter to God – and declare that all lives matter to us.
How might we respond? How can we make a difference? Start with prayers today – and in worship tomorrow. Continue with self-examination on an individual and cultural level – about how we unwittingly foster division and violence instead of unity and peace. Determine to walk across the street, or across town, to a neighborhood that looks, seems, feels, or is different than where you live – and reach out a hand to a sister or brother. Build a bridge, walk the extra mile, determine to love, and refuse to give up hope.
I thank you for the prayers you have already uttered this week. I thank God for the ways you incarnate Jesus’ love and grace. I thank God for how you bind people together through your faithfulness and service. I thank God for the seeds of hope you planted long ago that are bearing fruit today.
With stubborn hope, and prayers for reconciliation,
The Rev. Dr. Betsy Miller
President, Provincial Elders’ Conference
Moravian Church Northern Province
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