Commemoration on the Seventh Anniversary of the Emmanuel Nine
This week I wanted to share with you all the text of a letter I have written to the pastor of Lomax AME Zion Church, on the seventh anniversary of the shooting in Charleston, South Carolina. I hope you will join me in prayers of thanksgiving and commitment as we continue to work towards reconciliation.
I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. (Philippians 1:3-5)
Dear Reverend Nelson,
I write on the upcoming seventh anniversary of the shooting at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina. While this anniversary will always carry sadness and sorrow, I am also grateful that it was the occasion for a St. Michael’s parishioner, Anne Jacoby, to begin forming a relationship with the congregation at Lomax. From her initial commitment we have been gifted with an ever-deepening relationship with the congregation at Lomax.
Connections among our Senior Ministries flourished in the years between 2015–2020. The Holy Spirit nurtured these relationships in a way that allowed you to graciously receive my call in 2020, following the murder of George Floyd. Ever since, you have been a generous partner in ministry. The entire St. Michael’s community has been blessed through this opportunity to be in conversation, relationship, and prayer with the Lomax community. Many of us have had our well-protected world view appropriately disrupted and replaced by realities that your community have courageously and thoughtfully shared. Not only do we have you all to thank for the potential betterment of our greater community, but our very souls.
While we will always lament the tragedy in South Carolina in 2015, we give thanks for the blessing of your friendship and the truth of the witness we have experienced in each of your members. Our hearts are full of gratitude, and a commitment work to bring about God’s justice.
This week, we will join with you at the Juneteenth celebration led by the Arlington Coalition of Black Clergy. In worship on Sunday, we will offer up the following prayer to mark this anniversary, and renew our commitment to creating a country and community that has repented of racism. Indeed, we give thanks to God every time we remember your faithful companionship on this journey.
God, our truth, through the ages you have spoken through prophets. Stir up in your church a passion for your word revealed in Jesus, that following the witness of the Emanuel Nine, your church studies the scriptures, shows hospitality, prays without ceasing, and embodies prophetic justice in community. Embolden church leaders and all the baptized to remember the lives of the Nine, repent of racism and white supremacy, and renew our commitment to your word revealed most fully in Jesus, our way, truth, and life. In your great mercy, receive our prayer. Amen. (1)
Faithfully,
The Rev. Beth Franklin
(1) From the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America