In Davidson, two churches gather in wake of Charleston shootings

On June 21, a group of members of Davidson College Presbyterian Church (predominantly white) worshiped with Davidson Presbyterian Church (predominantly black). Marguerite Williams, a Davidson College Presbyterian Church member, wrote about the experience.

Amidst all the analysis, posturing, and head-scratching in the media over the tragic shooting at a historic church in Charleston, a few of us had a transcendent two hours on Sunday, June 21, at a small church in Davidson.

The Davidson Presbyterian Church, led by the Rev. Darrell Van Pelt, wrapped a handful of visitors from the nearby Davidson College Presbyterian Church as well as other community members, in a warm, welcoming embrace.

We visitors wanted to accomplish nothing more than to stand with our friends and neighbors in this sad time. But it became so much more because of the members of this predominantly African-American congregation.

As we walked into the service, members recognized some of us as longtime friends and others as entirely new to them. They greeted us, new and old, with smiles and nods and hugs. They instinctively knew that we could offer nothing more than our presence, but that seemed like enough to them.

The service had joyful music in abundance, with gifted musicians on keyboard, drums and bass, and choirs that lifted our spirits as they lifted their voices to God. The assistant in the service, Guydell Connor, read beautiful passages of scripture and prayed from his heart.

The Rev. Van Pelt prayed and talked and preached with passion and commitment. He reminded us that God’s judgment was the only one that mattered. Who are we to judge, he asked. Instead, we must forgive, as many times as forgiveness is required, and leave the judging to a higher power.

At the end of the service, he asked us to take the hand of a person near us, and in that moment. I wished that many others could have felt the power of this community of faith, the power of love, the power of forgiveness. In that moment, it did not matter whether we were Christian or Jew or atheist.

It only mattered that we stood together and loved each other. It only mattered that we would commit, in our small corner of the world, to work together to address the causes of the disaffection and dissolution of society, to stand up to racism in its many forms and call it by name, to turn this righteous anger into passion for justice, to look at the causes of poverty of mind, body and spirit and find workable solutions. Together.

After the service, we left the simple but beautiful sanctuary of the Davidson Presbyterian Church and walked outside into the bright sunshine. Standing there were many more members of the Davidson College Presbyterian Church who walked over at the end of their worship service. In the parking lot, we stood in a huge circle whose diameter must have been 100 feet, and we held hands.

This time the Rev. Lib McGregor Simmons of the Davidson College Presbyterian Church prayed for reconciliation and forgiveness and determination. Amens rose up.

Can we finally get this right? Can we learn to love one another, here and now? And by loving each other, and understanding and accepting our differences, can we actually find that we are bound much more by all the things we share in common? Can we fully and truly come to know that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere?” Only the very soul of our community, our state, our country and our world is at stake.

This story was originally published July 2, 2015 at 2:22 PM with the headline "In Davidson, two churches gather in wake of Charleston shootings."