The California-Pacific Office of Communications of The United Methodist Church "A Letter to the Beloved of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Charleston, South Carolina" for Thursday, 25 June 2015

The California-Pacific Office of Communications of The United Methodist Church "A Letter to the Beloved of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Charleston, South Carolina" for Thursday, 25 June 2015
Brothers and Sisters, May the tender mercy and healing balm of our Lord Christ Jesus be upon you...

A Letter to the Beloved of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Charleston, South Carolina
The United Methodist Church
Los Angeles Episcopal Area
Minerva G. Carcaño
Resident Bishop
Today, Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño wrote a letter of support to Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Charleston, South Carolina. In addition to this letter, Bishop Carcaño invites all laity, clergy, and local churches to be in relationship and prayer with local African Methodist Episcopal churches through such actions as:

1. Visiting a local AME church and sharing a message of love and support for them as United Methodists
2. Setting up a pulpit exchange with a local AME congregation in order to build and strengthen our relationships
3. Gathering United Methodist and AME women for an afternoon of fellowship and conversation about what the shooting at Emanuel AME Church means for all of us 
4. Covenanting to be in prayer with an AME congregation
5. Planning a children's activity for UM and AME children to get to know each other and learn that we are all Methodists and together members of the body of Christ

Brothers and Sisters,
May the tender mercy and healing balm of our Lord Christ Jesus be upon you.
I write to you on behalf of the California-Pacific Conference of The United Methodist Church. We represent the United Methodist community that serves in the name of Christ Jesus in Southern California, Hawaii, Guam and Saipan. You faced your terrible hour of darkness as we were gathered in our annual conference session. As soon as we knew of your suffering we began to pray for you. We continue to pray for you and now turn to the action of seeking every good way to join you in your faithful witness for justice and forgiveness.
We are bound together with you. At least one member of our conference has come to us from your congregation and faithful ministry. Ms. Elizabeth Michel, a member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church of San Bernardino, California, informed me that you are her home church. She also shared with me that her 103 year old mother-in-law faithfully attends your Wednesday night Bible study but did not attend last week’s Bible study because she was not feeling well. We are bound together by persons like sister Elizabeth and her family, but even more, we are bound by love because together we are members of the Methodist family and the greater body of Christ.
As we gathered at our annual conference last week we acknowledged the fact that we represent separate denominations today because of the racism of our mother church, the Methodist Episcopal Church. We dare to believe that things might be different today if our mother church had given a more faithful witness of the fact that we are all the children of God, beloved of our Creator, without exception. We pledge to walk with you in helping our nation and our world overcome its sin of racism. And, we commit to overcoming, with your help, the racism that still pervades our United Methodist Church.
We are so very grateful for the witness and service of the Rev. Clementa Pinkney, your pastor and our brother. We shall pray for his family and for you his church family without ceasing. We are also in prayer for the families of 

Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton
Cynthia Hurd
Tywanza Sanders
Myra Thompson
Ethel Lance
Rev. Dr. Daniel Simmons, Sr.
Depayne Middleton-Doctor
Susie Jackson
May the families of these servants of God be comforted by the Holy Spirit, the very living presence of our Good Shepherd among us. We know by faith that these servants of Christ now rejoice at the banquet table of God’s mercy and eternal care.
We pray that God will continue to strengthen you for this hour. God is at work in the world through your congregation. We give God thanks for you.
Your Sister in Christ,

Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño
Los Angeles Area Resident Bishop
The United Methodist Church
The California-Pacific Conference of The United Methodist Church is inspiring the world as passionate followers of Jesus Christ so all may experience God's life-giving love...
Our mailing address is:
The California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
110 South Euclid Avenue

Pasadena, California 91101 United States
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