Interfaith prayer vigil
What: To mourn the nine victims of the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C. A press release said the vigil would be "to gather in solidarity to pray for the families of the victims, the community of Charleston and racial hatred."
When: 8 a.m. Saturday
Where: Dayton Gurdwara Sahib, Skih Temple, 2320 Harshman Road, Dayton
Note: There will be no chair seating, attendees are invited to sit on the floor or stand. The release asks people to bring a head covering in honor of the worship facility hosting the meeting. Head coverings will be provided to those who don't have one.
More info: Contact Rev. Dr. Crystal Walker, executive director, Greater Dayton Christian Connections, at (937) 222-4322 or by email at gdcc@christianconnections.org
In response to the South Carolina church massacre Wednesday night, several Miami Valley religious leaders said Friday they will alter their scheduled Sunday sermons — most of which were going to focus on Father’s Day — to preach about the nine people who died while conduct Bible study.
“The message this weekend is that hate is a learned behavior,” said the Rev. Dr. Crystal D. Walker, executive director of Greater Dayton Christian Connections. “But love comes from God. We’re all born to love.”
The 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 African Methodist Episcopla Church. He 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. Officials are calling the killings a hate crime.
Rev. Melonie Valentine, the presiding elder of the Dayton District of the A.M.E. Church, 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 God is still in control,” Valentine said. “That’s the message I would have them convey and that’s what I assume they will be preaching from their pulpit.”
Dr. Darshan Sehbi, a member of the leadership team at Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Temple, said response to the shooting should be careful.
“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 God gives a person like that some wisdom so that they’ll have better understanding of fellow human beings.”
Rev. Mila Cooper of the Wayman A.M.E. Church on Hoover Avenue in Dayton said she also plans alter her message on Sunday that was going to center on Father’s Day.
“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.”
Dwight Smith, pastor of Central Chapel A.M.E. Church in Yellow Springs, said. “Despite 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.”
The 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 God,” said Pastor John Maze of Agape Bible Fellowship Church in Dayton. “We must encourage black congregations and white congregations to have dialogue. Definitely I am going to encourage a sense of cautiousness, and increase in security measures will be one of those issues.”
One of Beavercreek’s Patterson Park Church’s pastors, Dan 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 African American brothers and sisters.”
Another common theme local religious leaders said should be taught is forgiveness, even in the face of nine deaths.
“Murder is totally wrong in our religion. It is not right, ” said Priest Ramesh Rajamani of the Hindu Temple of Dayton in Beavercreek. “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 Dayton Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Temple at 2320 Harshman Road in Dayton.
“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. “And then, secondly, we learn about each other. In learning about each other, it just really brings down prejudices and racism.”
They vigil will include local religious speakers from the Jewish, Baha’i, Christian, Muslim and Sikh faiths.
Interfaith prayer vigils have taken place locally after both the August 2012 deaths of six people at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., and the Sandy Hook Elementary killings of 20 children and six adults in December 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.”
Reporters Eileen McClory and Kate Patrick contributed to this report.
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