Local leaders to speak about love, courage and action
In response to the South Carolina church massacre Wednesday night, several M iami Valley religious leaders said Friday they will alter their scheduled Sunday sermons — most of which were going to focus on Father’s D ay — to preach about the nine people who died while conducting B ible study.
“T he message this weekend is that hate is a learned behavior,” said the Rev. D r. Crystal D . Walker, executive director of G reater D ayton Christian Connections. “But love comes from God. We’re all born to love.”
T he alleged shooter, Dylann S. Roof, 21, appeared in court Friday and faces nine counts of murder and a weapons charge
for the massacre at the Emanuel A frican M ethodist Episcopla Church.H e reportedly told police he almost didn’t go through with the shooting because people were so nice to him but that he wanted to start a race war.O fficials are calling the killings a hate crime.
R ev.M elonie Valentine,the presiding elder of the D ayton D istrict of the A M EChurch,said the 19 churches in her charge likely will present a similar theme in their Sunday messages.
“It’s a message of prayer for our own courage and strength to continue on and realize that G od is still in control,” Valentine said.“T hat’s the message I would have them convey and that’s what I assume they will be preaching from their pulpit.”
D r.D arshan Sehbi,who is a member of the leadership team at G urdwara Sahib Sikh T emple,said response to the shooting should be positive.
“I think we need to think about it carefully and not respond in any way that adds to harm,” he said.“We should be looking at carefully praying for those whose families lost loved ones and also praying for the person who did commit this crime that G od gives a person like that some wisdom so that they’ll have better understanding of fellow human beings.”
R ev.M ila Cooper of the Wayman A M EChurch on H oover A venue in D ayton said she also plans alter her message on Sunday that was going to center on Fathers D ay.
“Somehow,I’m going to incorporate what has been going on,what happened Wednesday night and tie it in somehow,if I can,to fathers and fatherhood,” she said.“We are people of hope and faith, but also people of action. We all need to be responsible for exploring the ways that we can make a difference in the lives of our communities,whether it’s with the justice system or fighting racism.”
D wight Smith,pastor of Central Chapel AM E Church in Yellow Springs, said.“D espite the evil,we have to be reminded that our faith has kept us here, and that’s what will keep us.It is difficult not to get angry,but that’s why we’re people of faith.”
T he shooting has stirred emotions about gun control,terrorism and church security,but also about race relations.
“I am going to be encouraging people to have more conversations with their white neighbors and white friends and definitely more conversations with G od,” said Pastor John M aze of A gape B ible Fellowship Church in D ayton.“We must encourage black congregations and white congregations to have dialogue.D efinitely I am going to encourage a sense of cautiousness, and increase in security measures will be one of those issues.”
O ne of B eavercreek’s Patterson Park Church’s pastors,D an Sietman, said: “We as a congregation know there is a lot of racial tension in society with things that have been happening,and it’s really sad that we see evidence of that taking place within the walls of churches. It shouldn’t be that way. We have a close fellowship,we love our A frican A merican brothers and sisters.”
A nother common theme local religious leaders said should be taught is forgiveness,even in the face of nine deaths.
“M urder is totally wrong in our religion.It is not right,“said Priest R amesh R ajamani of the H indu T emple of D ayton in B eavercreek.“We are praying that their souls rest in peace.I’m very sorry for their souls and for the boy who did it.”
Walker said,in her opinion,that a shooting like what happened in Charleston happens because people aren’t judged by the content of their character,but rather prejudged by stereotypes.
In addition to preaching about the massacre, the area’s religious community organized an interfaith prayer vigil that will include representatives from several local places of worship,and is scheduled for 8 a.m.today in the D ayton G urdwara Sahib Sikh T emple at 2320 H arshman R oad in D ayton.
“When we come together in an interfaith setting,it shows,one,we have dialogue with each other and we realize that we’re all people no matter what our beliefs are,” Walker said.“A nd then, secondly,we learn about each other.In learning about each other,it just really brings down prejudices and racism.”
T hey vigil will include local religious speakers from the Jewish,B aha’i, Christian,Catholic,M uslim and Sikh faiths.
Interfaith prayer vigils have taken place locally after both the A ugust 2012 deaths of six people at a Sikh temple in O ak Creek, Wis.,and the Sandy H ook Elementary killings of 20 children and six adults in D ecember 2012 in Newton,Conn.Wednesday’s shooting has renewed questions about church security.
“It’s a very tough one,” Sehbi said.“I don’t have the answer,but I think it’s something to explore and discuss and then come to a decision.”