Emanuel AME Church Returns for Wednesday Service

One week after a 21 year-old man opened fire at the historic Emanuel AME Church in Charleston killing nine including Pastor Clemente Pinckney, members held their Wednesday night Bible study.

Miles away the Pastor and South Carolina Senator lay in state as mourners filed past to pay their respects. Six of the members killed in the church will have their services held at Emanuel AME. Services for the heroic Daniel Simmons who rushed to Pastor Pinckney’s aid after the gunfire have not been announced.

President Barack Obama will deliver the eulogy at Pastor Pinckney’s funeral tomorrow. Last week’s horrific, racially-motivated massacre sent shock waves through the nation and especially the African-American community. Conversations about race relations have dominated headlines for months now, starting with police-involved killings of unarmed Black men.

Services for Rev Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, the mother of three and a pastor at Emanuel, were held today. She was also a speech therapist and high school girls track and field coach. Another member, Ethel Lance, was also remembered today by family and friends during her funeral services.