In Tribute to the Emanuel Nine

On Wednesday, June 17, 2015, the pastor and eight faithful members were tragically slain in a mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. They had come together with great joy for a weekly Bible Study, but a stranger who had been warmly welcomed into the group snuffed out the lives of these beloved fathers, mothers, daughters, sons, colleagues, and friends. Those killed were The Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney, 41, State Senator and Senior Pastor; The Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, 45; Mrs. Cynthia Hurd, 54; Ms. Susie Jackson, 87; Ms. Ethel Lance, 70; The Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, 49; Mr. Tywanza Sanders, 26; The Rev. Daniel Simmons, 74; and Mrs. Myra Thompson, 59. Their untimely deaths are remembered as an eternal reminder of the power of love and forgiveness, and that God's grace is sufficient, no matter what.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · United States