Statement from Dr. Mark L. Williams on Charleston
The Church of God laments the horrific and senseless tragedy that happened in Charleston, South Carolina. Wednesday evening men and women gathered in church for Bible study and prayer when they were brutally killed by an apparently hate-filled young man, according to a statement by Dr. Mark L. Williams, the denomination’s executive leader.
“We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church as they mourn their loss, and we stand firmly with all Americans who oppose racial animosity and violence,” the church leader said.
“An act of hostility such as this mindless murder is a demonstration of moral depravity,” Williams continued. “That this prejudicial and bigoted attitude toward black people could result in such a horrendous action evidences the depths to which people can sink when their minds have been darkened by sin. That it could happen in a sacred space set aside for the worship of God makes it the more despicable. ”
“I call upon the members of the Church of God and our colleagues throughout the Christian community to lift up in prayer the families of those who were killed, along with the congregation of Emanuel AME Church, asking for God to comfort and strengthen them,” the church leader said. “We must also pray for God’s intervention in our country to bring healing and unity between the races where division exists.”
The Church of God, whose International Offices are in Cleveland, Tennessee, is a 129-year-old Pentecostal denomination with more than 15 million adherents worldwide, including 1.2 million members in the United States. It was among the first church movements in America to declare its support for integrated congregations.
