One year later: Remembering the Emanuel Nine
“Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.””
Revelation 14:13 NIV
- The Rev. Clementa Pinckney
- Cynthia Hurd
- Sharonda Coleman-Singleton
- Myra Thompson
- Tywanza Sanders
- Ethel Lance
- Susie Jackson
- Daniel Simmons
- Depayne Middleton Doctor
Today marks one year that we heard the tragic news coming out of Charleston, S.C. Gathered in a Bible study at Mother Emanuel Church, these nine people were gunned down in an act of sinful hate.
Later that day we learned that one of the faithful church members was our employee, DePayne Middleton Doctor. Angry violence that seems so far away on our TV or news feeds was now as close as our campus location and the desk next to ours. With Charleston, the state of South Carolina, the United States, and indeed the world we watched, prayed, cried, and were amazed as this church taught us how to live out our faith in the face of an unspeakable senseless tragedy.
DePayne was not only an employee of the university, she was also a graduate and our friend. Here she found a place that expressed the same values she held and worked for the same future. DePayne was happy and found fulfilling her work to help other adults realize their dreams of a better job and a better life through our adult education program. DePayne lived and died and lives again as a true example of a SWU graduate.
We are also staggering from the news that is coming out of Orlando. Our minds cannot comprehend the reach of sin and hate. While we reflect on the events of Charleston and our sister Depayne we also pray for the victims and families of all of those affected in Orlando.
We do not believe that God uses or ordains evil to accomplish His will. Our God is better than that. But we do recognize that we live in a fallen, sinful world. And God can redeem the bleakest of situations. Nothing is beyond the loving reach of God. That is our hope. That is our prayer. That is our reality.
Let us take a moment today to pause and pray. Let us thank God for the life of DePayne and what she taught us about trust and faith and hope. Let us also pray for Orlando.
And let us join our voices with the faithful around the world and those who have gone before us. Let us end our prayer with the words of the ancient liturgy that is both an appeal for God's action and an affirmation of our hope.
Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy