Betty Deas Clark Appointed Pastor at the Charleston Church Where 9 Were Killed Last Year
Rev. Dr. Betty Deas Clark has been appointed the pastor at the historic Emanuel AME Church on Saturday. Last year, on the evening of June 17, 2015, during a prayer service, nine people were killed by a gunman in the same church.
Of those who were shot and died included the senior pastor and state senator Clementa C. Pinckney The morning after the attack, police arrested a suspect, later identified as 21-year-old Dylann Roof, in Shelby, North Carolina. Roof later confessed that he committed the shooting in hopes of igniting a race war.
Since the shooting, the church had been led by interim pastor Rev. Dr. Norvel Goff, amid controversy. Goff is running for bishop, Clark was appointed by current Bishop Richard Norris, who will retire this summer from his post overseeing the district that spans South Carolina.
The Awendaw native preached her first sermon at the church affectionately called Mother Emanuel at 9:30 a.m. last Sunday morning. Late Saturday, she was crafting her first sermon for her new congregation, one that has much healing to do. She will focus on the message of, "I still have hope," based on a passage from Jeremiah in which God tells the faithful he "plans to give you hope and a future."
Clark said she wants to leave the congregation with a simple message: "In the face of tragedy and uncertain times, we still have a God in whom we can trust."
When the bishop first approached Clark about the widely sought-after post, she was humbled. But when he officially assigned her to Emanuel AME on Saturday: "It took my breath away."
She personally knew five of the nine people killed in the massacre.
"It's just an awesome task," she said. "You want to do God proud with whatever you do and approach it with humility."
Tags : betty deas clark Emanuel AME Church charleston church shooting charleston church charleston massacre
Hot Trends
-
Here Are the Lyrics to Transformation Worship's "Yahweh"
-
Dr. David Jeremiah Had a Fall & Cancels All Speaking Engagements for "Singing in the Sun"
-
Chester Bennington Dies: Was He a Christian?
-
Randall Goodgame's "Scripture Hymnal" Unveils a Treasury of Bible Songs
-
Prestonwood Baptist Church to host 20th annual Biblical Worldview Conference
-
Sandee Jo Crocker Offers a Heart-Rendering Interview About How to Find Help in an Abusive Relationship
-
Former Pastor and By The Tree Frontman Chuck Dennie Finds Healing with "Gypsy Heart"
-
Bethel Music's Kalley Heiligenthal Remembers Daughter Olive Three Years After Her Passing
-
Tia Rachelle Returns with New Single “Get The Glory”
-
FAITHFUL Collective Unveils New Album Exploring Rest throughout the Psalms
-
Francis Chan Reveals His Reasons Why He Left His Megachurch
-
Is Taylor Swift a Christian?
-
Lauren Talley Opens Up About the Retirement of the Talleys & Her Solo Musical Endeavors
-
Lysa TerKeurst Remarries Two Years After Divorce
-
The Tragic End of Kingdom Heir's Founder Steve French
Most Popular
-
Here Are the Lyrics to Transformation Worship's "Yahweh"
-
Dr. David Jeremiah Had a Fall & Cancels All Speaking Engagements for "Singing in the Sun"
-
Chester Bennington Dies: Was He a Christian?
-
Randall Goodgame's "Scripture Hymnal" Unveils a Treasury of Bible Songs
-
Prestonwood Baptist Church to host 20th annual Biblical Worldview Conference
-
Sandee Jo Crocker Offers a Heart-Rendering Interview About How to Find Help in an Abusive Relationship
-
Former Pastor and By The Tree Frontman Chuck Dennie Finds Healing with "Gypsy Heart"
-
Bethel Music's Kalley Heiligenthal Remembers Daughter Olive Three Years After Her Passing
-
Tia Rachelle Returns with New Single “Get The Glory”
-
FAITHFUL Collective Unveils New Album Exploring Rest throughout the Psalms
-
Francis Chan Reveals His Reasons Why He Left His Megachurch
-
Is Taylor Swift a Christian?
-
Lauren Talley Opens Up About the Retirement of the Talleys & Her Solo Musical Endeavors
-
Lysa TerKeurst Remarries Two Years After Divorce
-
The Tragic End of Kingdom Heir's Founder Steve French