Letter: May Charleston Lead Us in Showing Love

Thank you, South Carolina Baptists, for passing the resolution on Mother Emanuel AME Church at the 2015 meeting of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Our nation wept as we watched the horrific events unfold. The murders happened in a church during a Wednesday night prayer meeting. Unimaginable!

We must set aside our differences in order to find common ground. The enemy works in division, but our Lord works in unity. I feel very privileged to be from Charleston, where our community continues to forgive in the midst of great tragedy. What happened in Charleston serves as a wake-up call to all Christians. When we rise in the spirit of healing, we put darkness to flight. Darkness cannot survive when confronted with the light of the truth. Let’s make sure that our actions and words reflect those of a loving Savior.

At this pivotal point in our history, our nation is watching to see if we indeed put “love” action into practice in our everyday lives. Continue to pray for Mother Emanuel, for Charleston and for our country, so others will know that “we are Christians by our love.”

Marcia Chandler Rhea
Charleston