June 17th – Day of Remembrance and Repentance for the Emanuel 9

On June 17^th, 2015, Dylann Roof, a member on the rolls of St. Paul Lutheran Church – ELCA – in Charleston, SC entered Mother Emanuel AME church for a prayer meeting. He proceeded to shoot and kill 9 of the people in attendance in an act born of white supremacy and racial hatred.  These 9 people were: the Hon. Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney, Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, the Rev. Depayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, the Rev. Daniel L. Simmons Sr., the Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and Myra Thompson.

Two years ago, at our churchwide assembly, the ELCA voted and approved a resolution to set aside June 17^th as a Day of Remembrance and Repentance for the Emanuel 9.  Acting on this resolution, the Virginia Synod’s Tapestry team is hosting its 2^nd Annual Zoom worship service on Thursday, June 17^th, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. for a time of remembering the Emanuel 9, prayer, speakers, and an Affirmation of Baptism centered in racial justice.

The Rev. Dr. Kylon Middleton, pastor of Mt. Zion AME church in Charleston, SC will be one of our guest speakers/preachers. He was a friend to the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, the senior pastor of Mother Emanuel who was one of the 9 killed on June 17^th, 2015. He will speak to us about his experience of that tragic day. Both he and Rev. Pinckney attended Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, SC for their Master of Divinity degrees. Maurice Gallimore, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for enCircle (formerly Lutheran Family Services of Virginia) will also be sharing his experience of that day and how he has been affected.

We are also inviting congregations to use resources to commemorate the Emanuel 9 on Sunday, June 20^th during or after worship.  Some of the resources we are making available are:

• ELCA Resolution on the Day of Remembrance and Repentance
• How to Have Difficult Conversations
• Resource Guide to Address Racial Reconciliation in your congregation
• The Explanation of the Declaration to People of African Descent
• A Service of Mourning and Repentance commemorating the Emanuel 9

These and other resources are available on the Tapestry page under the “Racial Justice Ministries” tab of the Virginia Synod website: https://vasynod.org/ministries/tapestry/

The time to take steps toward healing the deep wound of racism in our country is now.  Please join us and invite others to the service as well. Hosting a zoom watch party in your congregation is a great way to encourage discussion and action steps. Please register for the event here. The zoom link for the event will be emailed to you closer to the date.

Registration form for Emanuel 9 Commemoration

The Virginia Synod Tapestry Team