Resistance and mourning at Emanuel

Hundreds packed the pews of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, just days after the deadly June 17 attack there, readying themselves to bury nine beloved members and seek justice on their behalf as part of the church’s activist tradition.

In an energetic and emotional service, Norvel Goff, interim senior pastor, assured those gathered that the victims, including Clementa Pinckney, the church’s senior pastor and a state senator, did not die in vain.

“We still believe that prayer changes things,” Goff said. “Can I get a witness?” The congregation, swelled with government and community leaders and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley and her family, responded with a rousing “Yes.”