On Friday, June 17, 2016, we commemorate the first anniversary of the Charleston Martyrs. In response to that unimaginable attack on the very sanctuary of God in order to incite a race war, we drafted the statement for the national network of state councils of churches. The Christian Action Council of South Carolina adopted the statement as their own. It is published here for remembrance. Download Charleston Letter
Now we find ourselves writing another statement to another unimaginable act of evil at the center of heretofore safe space for an often maligned community. We express our unity in love and mourning with the LBGTQ, Latino and Muslim communities directly impacted by the massacre at the Pulse Night Club early Sunday, June 12, 2016.
Christ have mercy! May our prayers become the social, political and cultural will to transform a nation to act for healing and to end violence. What if mental health were freely accessed and assault weapons hard to come by? So may people of God and goodwill dream such a world into existence.
The Rev. Dr. Russell L. Meyer
Executive Director