♪ i'm going up yonder i'm going up yonder i'm going up >> ♪ if anybody ask you where i am going if anybody wants to know

if anybody ask you where i am going i'm going up yonder i'm going up yonder i'm going up yonder to be with my lord i'm going up yonder i'm going up yonder to be with my lord i can take the pain the heartache they bring

the comfort in knowing i run this race i'm going up yonder i'm going up yonder i'm going up yonder i'm going up yonder i'm going up yonder i'm going up yonder i'm going up yonder to be with my lord

i'm going up yonder i'm going up yonder to be with my lord i'm going up yonder i'm going up yonder to be with my lord ♪ ♪

>> we come now to have our -- we listen to the acknowledgment of civic and religious leaders. we ask that the ushers as we continue to worship, we know some will have to be excuse for a moment and come back, but certainly not en masse. [laughter]

>> a man who has friends must show himself friendly. they arethe reverend has been a great friend, a great pastor, colleague, confidant to many. we saw this to the many cards, e-mails, text messages, flowers other means of social media, and other expressions of love that is been showered on the family during this time of bereavement but yet our time of celebration. his loyalty and love for people is proven through the many faces

we see here today. this is the character of who he was, and is a true testament of his love for people. he impacted the religious community as well as the political arena as a senator. what skill and balance that must take, since we always say we

must separate church and state. today, once again, he has shown that balance their he has brought together both the political and religious leaders. [applause] we thank all of you, all of you, who are government officials on all levels, to our religious leaders on all levels for the love and support you have shown our family. we ask that we continue to bind together both church and state to continue with his legacy. god bless you. [applause] >> as we come now with the musical tribute, dr. greg mcpherson will ask that you come and following that, those who are listed for reflections from friends and the church and family, please come in the order in which you are listed. thank you.

>> good morning. good morning. dr. greg mcpherson here. we are indeed delighted to have the opportunity to resent this piece this morning. it is an original composition called the requiem of repose. you will see that the opening lyrics say permit now oh lord my soul to enter. i was a professor when reverend clementa pinckney was ordained and witnessed remarkable things in his effort to unite all of us. i'm very delighted to present this work with me several a sort of night musicians some of whom are local and global. ms. monica hargrave, the principal harpist.

mr. spike neeley, percussionist. the current director of choral activities. professor of boys that benedict college. -- professor of voice at benedict college. miss jan marie christie joyce, viola from the trust and symphony orchestra. the young metropolitan, ms. key on a richardson. and your own mr. becker, const

concertmaster of the trust and symphony orchestra. we present this from our heart to yours. [laughter] ♪

>> permit now, oh lord, my soul to injure. -- two -- to enter.

♪ permit now, oh lord, my soul to enter (music) [instrumental . ♪

>> permit now, oh lord, my soul to enter. ♪ >> permit now, oh lord, my soul to enter. ♪

>> my soul the -- [singing]

♪ [singing and instrumental music] [singing and instrumental music]

♪ [singing and instrumental music]

[applause] rev. chris vaughn: how good and

pleasant is to dwell in unity. pinckney, as i will call him, we met at university in 1991. he came in as a freshman and i was a junior. one of our friends said, one of the professors said, there is a young gentleman i want you to meet. and i told him, ok. we set up a time and the place. when i looked up, i saw this tall, skinny, gentlemen come walking around the corner. he looked at me and said, i am

clementa pinckney. i said i am chris vaughn and from that day forward we started to build a relationship. we hung out, we was tight. late one night, i told him let's go to ihop, get something to eat. on our way there, we are going to stop by usc and see some friends of mine. he said, ok, let's go. we went by and saw some friends and low and behold, jennifer benjamin was there. [laughter] as me and charlene brown sit up and talked together, we looked at each other and i said, is he going to ask her for her number? [laughter] i am like, come on. you're hanging with the upperclassman now, ask for her number. [laughter]

finally, he asked for the number. after that, i said, that's my boy. that's my boy. [laughter] and the rest is history. [applause] before there was a house, before there was the senate, me and pinckney hung out together. he loved him ame church for , all the capital improvements again. we talked about how he wanted to do things and put the elevator in and restore the house. we talked in detail about this. sometimes i felt as though i was in a meeting with everyone else. but we would talk for hours at

the time. that was our love we loved the , church, and we loved people. i can honestly say, out of the 24 years i have known him, i have never seen him mad, not one time. i tried to push his buttons a couple of times. [laughter] because we all have that one crazy friend and that was me. [laughter] i would always say something or do something and he would say, man, you know, you crazy. we had already pledged, we were brothers and we pledged, we were practicing for a step show. we would normally practice outside, but it was cold and rainy. i said, why don't we go to the auditorium? we walked to the auditorium and it was locked.

hmm, i looked around, i said pinckney, come on and go with me. i'm going to the presidents house. he said, we can't go to the president's house at this time of the night. i can. i said, come on. i walked over to the presidents house, knocked on his door, he comes to the door, he said yes sir. mr. vaughn, i said can you unlock the auditorium for us? he looked at me and said, since you have mr. pinckney, i will call security and have them unlock the doors. [applause] [laughter] we walked off and he looked at me and said, man, you know you crazy. i said it's all right. we got we needed.

i said, let's go practice. i said all of that to say this that he was more than a friend to me. he was like a brother. i told myself the other day i was not going to cry anymore. but sometimes myself does not listen to me. [laughter] this is the time of year we would get together and set out and eat. we loved to eat. i turned around to the of the day to figure up the phone and called him and realized that he was not here. i looked at myself and i told myself i was not going to allow all the pain of yesterday to steal my joy for today. [applause] i don't know about you, but i

feel on the inside of me, the pain still lingers on, but i still have got praise. i'm going to continue to lift up the name of jesus, because when we lift up the name of jesus, he brings men and women to him. later on, we will all be where you are today. thank you. [applause] brother william dudley gregorie: wrong church, wrong people wrong day. [applause] soon will be done the trouble of

this world, soon will be done the trouble of this world. no more weeping or wailing, no more weeping or wailing, soon we will be done the trouble of this world. i met rev. pinckney when he first came in. he came in with prayer, a plan a policy, and projects. he worked us hard. but on behalf of our church, our hard-working church, we want to

thank the world and thank our first family and our first lady for her elegance, for her grace, and her dignity in a time of struggle. [applause] personally, i want to thank for you for this opportunity. you knew our relationship very well. it is very, very important for me to acknowledge probably the oldest person in this room, our member, 104-year-old miss michelle, miss margaret michelle. [applause]

i would also like to take this opportunity on behalf of the members of mother emmanuel to thank the presiding elder. he has been chosen to lead on this world stage and for that, we will be eternally grateful. the membership thanks him as you pastor us. history will serve him well. i would also like to thank, on behalf of mother emanuel church, our city. for our city has stepped up to

the plate. [applause] we are truly one charleston. when a young 35-year-old came and said that he was going to head mother emanuel church with ipads, texting, he was the modern pastor. i kind of felt for him. [laughter] because, half of the congregation was probably old enough to be his parent. but he came forward with that prayer and with that plan and he raised the kind of capital for

us to invest over a $500,000 over the last five years to complete our projects. [applause] he came and fixed every single building we owned so we are not flying blindly. he found creative ways to get the resources to make it happen. i learned a lot of lessons from my dear friend, reverend pinckney. because when evil lurked, couple of wednesdays ago evil thought this was evil's harvest. evil thought this was the harvest of humanity. but evil did not know he was being bamboozled and hoodwinked,

for this was god's harvest of the ripest nine berries on the vine. they may not have been ready dr. nelson, but they were prepared. [applause] mother lost nine of her children, yet mother forgives. she must forgive because with us is god emmanuel emanuel emanuel. emanuel, emanuel emanuel.

god is with us. some, and i wish my friend was here today, because some talk about divine order. the methodological, harmonious arrangement of things. i miss my friend because we would have been having this discussion. but i want to share one of the last discussions we had, and that discussion was about hope because we are a hopeful church. because living without hope is like living in continuous darkness. but hope peers through the darkness, sees the light, and waits until morning.

good morning america! [applause] >> let the church say amen. let the church say amen. let the church theysay amen one more time. if this is truly a sanctuary, put your hands together and give god's praise -- give god praise because god is worthy to be praised. [applause] chris vaughn is a baptist. but i was pinckney's crazy a.me. friend. amen. we have been brothers for more than 30 plus years. there is no reason why clementa

carlos pinckney and kylone jerome middleton should be friends. he came from jasper county. i came from charleston county. we did not go to the same grade schools are ignored and we grow up in the same area geographically. but it was through our connection in the african methodist episcopal church where somehow in the south carolina annual conference, where we both were members of the y.p.d. when our leaders would take us to our conference meeting, in the south carolina annual

conference, in the low country there came a collision between jasper county in charleston county. -- and charleston county. there used to be a time when people thought we were the same people. because we were both tall and we were both skinny, and we were both dark. and so it was, we were at allen university at a meeting. he was a y.p.d. leader and i was a y.p.d. leader. mother james came to us, because i was a little rambunctious, from charleston county, you know. and pinckney was very subdued. but he would do things to get me in trouble. i would be the one who took the blame for it.

and so it was that he was wreaking havoc in our section and mother james came and pinched me. i went over to him and said, who are you? he told me his name. i said, i don't like that name. [laughter] he said, what is your name? i told him my name. he said i don't like that name. from that date to this day, two awkward individuals with very strange sounding names became not only friends, we became brothers. pinckney, when we graduated from high school, through the a.m.e. connection, we were connected. we both started preaching very early. when we graduated from high school, we started talking. go to allen university. i said, pinckney you go to

allen. i'm going to the college of charleston. pinckney went to allen university and i came to the college of charleston. as it was, because we were friends, i would make the trip up i-26 to columbia, south carolina, for all those years to be with my friend on the campus of brown university, and that is where i met crazy chris vaughn. after we graduated from college, the way things happen, god ordained it. i became the first black minority recruiter for the college of charleston. somehow, god orchestrated that he became a recruiter for allen university. and so it was, we were together again on the road to conferences and all the high schools in the state of south carolina.

i would set up my college of charleston table. and before i could put the college of charleston sign out i had 1000 people in my line. he was there at the allen university table. and he barely had one. [laughter] i said, pinckney, what i'm going to do, i'm going to set up my table next to your table. [laughter] and so it will be that when individuals come to my table i'm going to push them over to the allen university table. he loved allen university. when we talked further, the college of charleston gave me an american express card. they would put me up in hotels. i had a per diem every day to eat. my good friend, pinckney, worked for allen university. [laughter] he worked for allen university.

[laughter] they did not give him an american express card. but they did give him a corsica. and so it was he had to drive , that vehicle back and forth from columbia to wherever we were geographically in the state. we could be in greenville recruiting, charleston recruiting, in the low country area near jasper, berkeley, and those counties, recruiting. and he would still have to go back to columbia, south carolina. i said, pinckney, what i will do, i will start getting two. -- two beds. therefore, where i am, you will be also. [laughter] [applause] and so for years, pinckney lived off of me and the college of charleston. [laughter] [applause] glory be to god! they can go and audit the books today. i don't know.

i will pay them what i owe them, but me and pinckney lived good off the college of charleston. [laughter] [applause] amen. and so it is, we moved away from the recruiting and started concentrating heavily on the church scene. we had ambition. we started calling one another -- i never really knew how to pronounce his name. i said my name is kylon, like nylon. he said my name is clementa. clementay. i said i will call you pinckney. he said i will call you middleton. when we got in public, i said i will call you by your whole name. i said one day, you are going to be somebody, and i want somebody to know not only your first name but like the bishops of the church, we are going to call

your whole name everywhere you go. that is how people started learning his name was carlos. amen. [laughter] that was a good laugh. [laughter] during the days before the church required theological education, i became a student at the lutheran theological southern seminary in south carolina and graduated with a master of divinity degree. i reached back and said to my friend, pinckney, you need a seminary education. we studied the church even though it was not denominationally mandated, we -- i said we will need this to be pastors in the a.m.e. church. and so it was, he decided to sign up to go to lutheran the -- theological southern

seminary. i had already graduated. they had me teaching greek. i said when you come to the greek class, i will be your teacher. he said that will be good because i cannot speak greek but you will make sure i pass. [laughter] i said, pinckney, don't play that game because i am tough. and so it was that he was in the class, and he was not being studious. i would take him aside and say pinckney you need to spend more time. i would give him private tutorials. he would not put the time in. i said, you see me next summer. amen. [laughter] but from that time, because of pinckney, the seminary changed the rules. no longer do you have to go through the summer intensive. now they offer it through the year. he had a passion for educational

excellence which pushed him through the leadership of bishop williams to go to wesley theological seminary where he will posthumously earn a doctor of ministry degree. [applause] his parents were my parents. his mom. he called me one day and said, middleton, where are you? i happened to be in charleston that day. he said i need you to go to red lobster and get a table because i'm going to bring my mom. she received bad news from the doctor. he said i don't want you to say nothing. i want you to cheer her up because he knew i was that way. when she came, we talked and laughed. we began to cheer her up, not knowing she only had a few weeks to live. but he loved his mother. he loved his father. when they would be traveling, he said, middleton, we are coming

through north carolina. i want you to have a bed ready for me and dad. and so it was, i had a bed ready for him and dad when they came up and came back. he called me one day and said, middleton, john is having a problem with one of the boys. i need you to take him because your son is like a soldier. i told john if anybody can do something with him, middleton can do it. and so it was, we met in a parking lot in columbia, south carolina. john packed him up and i took him home. amen. our children were tied together just that way. jennifer belonged to both of us. pinckney would call me up. he said jennifer is having a conference in myrtle beach. i want you to take jennifer out every day. take her out to the conference. i'm going to come join you at the end of the week, and i'm

going to vacation at your house. [laughter] i took jennifer every day to her conference. he did not know i was cooking for her because he did not realize i cooked. we ate good meals. when he came, we went out. amen. [laughter] one morning, i had given them the master bedroom suite downstairs. i was staying upstairs. he came to the bottom of the steps, middleton! i said i am not cooking breakfast this morning. he said jennifer is pregnant. i said, i did not do it! [laughter] because she was staying with me all week long. he said i know you did not do it. he gave me the stick. i said what is this? it was wet! [laughter] she found out she was pregnant in my house. you remember that? [laughter] jennifer belonged to both of us.

that is why it was no secret that when she was born, we were there together. it was not a secret or strange when she called me that wednesday night when i was stepping out of bible study. and i could not even discern or understand what she was saying. but she said the one thing i could understand that she said on the phone. i need you to get to charleston right now. bandand because jennifer called and said those words, i don't know how i got from georgetown to charleston. i broke every speed law, but the lord held back every state trooper. [laughter] and we were able to get together. we have been taking care of them ever since. he took great care, even when it was time to name his children. we would talk. jennifer, pinckney, and i. he said he wanted turning to be

the less wanted her name -- he said he wanted them to have particular names because it had a particular meaning. he loved to eat. we had movie nights. we had a movie night schedule. he was a man of conviction compassion, a man of god. micah says he has shown you what is good. what does the lord require of you? to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your god. as i take my seat, i'm here to let you know that my brother loved god acted justly, looked mercy, and continued to walk humbly with god until his last day. amen. [applause]

>> and the people of god shall say amen. we thank those who have come thus far and the two remaining reflections, we ask that you come now and share with us as we continue in this home going celebration worship experience. so, come, let us hear. >> i would like to say good day to all. i'm here to say a few words of remembrance concerning my

cousin, rev. clementa pinckney. when i first looked at the program, i looked down and heard all of these speakers. i said to myself, why did they put all these preachers ahead of me? [laughter] my wife looked and said you are a deacon. i said i am baptist. these are a.m.e. but anyway, we are going to try to do what thus says the lord. i got consolation in them saying so many good things about him and what he meant to them. but then i started thinking. you know, they got clementa when he was right. we had him when he was wrong. [laughter] you see, we saw him grow into what he became.

we love him dearly. we never will forget that beautiful smile he had. he got that smile from his mother. he got that heavy voice from his dad. as he was growing, i remember him as a little baby. his mother used to sing lullabies to him to put him to sleep. he did not cry much. he just looked around at his environment as if to say, who in ally\m i and who are all these people? when he was a toddler lying on his mother's chest at the old home spot, all of us were would gather at grandma's's house. as we sat around the kitchen table waiting for whatever she

pulled off the stove or out of the oven, she turned to his mother and said, that is a fine baby. he is such a good child. grandma began to sing a song that seemed to define his life. she would sing this song so eloquently. "i want to live so god can use me anywhere, any place, and anytime." she would echo it again. "i want to live so god can use me anyplace, anywhere, and anytime." as he began to grow, his voice began to change. we used to tease him because it sounded as though he swallowed an owl or a grand piano or an electric guitar because he had a refined voice. when we would gather for family reunions, while his brothers and

cousins would be concentrating on playing, he would be concentrating on praying to us before we have our meals. around the age of 13, he got the word, we got the word he was called into the ministry. came back to marin county and none of us were surprised. clementa got called to the ministry. we said we are not surprised because it was in him. at age 18, he began pastoring. at age 23, he was elected to the state house of representatives. it seemed as if god has anointed him and appointed him to be a servant to man. from the church house to the statehouse, he responded to his calling, working diligently doing his duty as god gave him

light to see those duties. so often, he would come home to take care of business for his grandma. he would stop by and say, i've only got a minute. i've got to get back for bible study. i've got to get back for church service, to meet with constituents. we've got to go over some things because we have a lot to cover. we would look at each other and say i love you, bro. i would always tell him to be safe. he would say thank you, bro. , even when he was at the statehouse, you did not have to be black, you did not have to be a democrat. he was not a radical. he was not even pro black. but if you approached him with a wrong you wanted to make right

he went to work for you until that wrong was made right. that is the kind of man he was. you see, god knew just celebrating completing a task was not enough. with clementa whatever he did, , he stayed within the will of god. clementa knew that freedom was something given to all men and not for some men to try to take it away. cousin clementa knew freedom and certain rights came with a price. you have to stand up for something even though you may have to die, he so often said. cousin clementa knew if he did not stand up, others would fall. he stood up in the church house as well as the statehouse because he believed in the

gospel of jesus. that is the kind of man he was. as i prepare to take my seat, i can see the pain you have for my family. and those other families that who have suffered a great loss. we thank you. i would like to echo the words of my pastor at a place called friendship missionary baptist church. he would always say when we are faced with problems like these he would say i don't know what the future holds but i know who holds the future. he holds the future. he that holds the future holds our hand, so we should not worry about anything. if we trust him, he will not leave us, nor will he forsake us. tell your tears to dry.

tell your her to go away and -- tell your hurt to go away and tell your pain to stop bothering me because i am afraid if you don't, you might miss the joy of the lord at work. we believe he is working it out as we speak. when we leave this place and go back home and go to work, that is what clementa would want you to do. go home, go to work, go to church. help a friend. be strong and help your family because this is what god wants us all to do. in closing, in closing, don't worry about clementa because he is in god's hands. if he could come back right now and stand up here and tell you,

he knew his history started from a slave man named jack at a little place we call st. james south carolina. we know it as st. james. if he could come back here, he would tell you about the history. how it was passed down and how we believe in hard work, education, and fairness. if he could come back, he would tell you these things. since he can't tell you, i will tell you for him. he would tell you. we have seen too many victories to let defeat have the last word. i think i need to say it one more time. [applause] we have seen too many victories to let defeat have the last word. [applause]

>> and the people of god shall say amen. let us follow these instructions. i am between two rocks and two hard places. [laughter] but most certainly, we want to respect the wishes of the family and jennifer. we have waiting at this moment to come into our presence our president of the united states. [applause] i need your help right now. we have one more cousin that need to come. [laughter] no, listen to me.

if you can feel my spirit, i would ask the cousin to take a minute and say something to us because we have extended the time. i want you to know our focus is on the family. [applause] we recognize house speaker boehner. he is here. please stand. [applause] and the archbishop emeritus of america of the greek orthodox church. please stand. [applause] he marched with martin luther

king, jr. [applause] so now, i know everybody is pulling me saying i have got to get this going on and shut it down. but if the cousin will come, i believe the spirit of the living god, i believe because i think i should give at least a minute because after that, we have to move along. if the cousin will come and say something to us for 60 seconds. [laughter] no, i want everybody to understand i'm doing that because i know -- been there. i would not want this opportunity to miss you. i promise if you say one minute, if i get another chance to have you say something not only to the family but to this community, i promise you will

have that chance. matter of fact, when we come to mother emanuel, a few weeks ago, -- from now i will allow you to , have remarks on behalf of the family front and center. bless your heart. [applause] >> we thank you. we are going to try our best to say everything in a minute. that will cut off a lot of things i would like to address with you all. i definitely want to say on behalf of the family that we thank you for your love, your prayers, your support. we thank you for your words of encouragement. we want to say unto you all that i stand before you as one who is elated that the honorable rev. clementa pinckney had more friends than enemies. [applause]

through mistaken identity, you all look at me and see had much see he had much of my features. [laughter] i went across the state and have received hugs, smiles, and handshakes because of mistaken identity. [laughter] also through mistaken identity, i have received the wrath of those who were enemies of rev. pinckney. but on a more serious note, i want to say unto all of you here that rev. pinckney, our senator, he was first and foremost a preacher of the gospel of jesus christ. [applause]

he was one that preached about the blood of jesus christ and the sacrifice jesus christ made for our justification. he preached about the sacrifice the lamb made for our atonement. i say unto you, brothers and sisters, those in the sanctuary and those watching you by television, this family says unto you, let us remember not just senator pinckney and his family. but let us remember the sacrifice of the nine. [applause] let us remember the sacrifice of the nine that moved among our upon our governor and cabinet members to remove the confederate flag from the statehouse ground.

let us remember the sacrifice of the nine that brought our president of the united states of america to charleston, s.c.. -- charleston, south carolina. [applause] let us remember the sacrifice of the nine, my brothers and sisters, that says under the -- says unto the family members here and all others to remember the words of jesus christ on calvary hill when he said forgive them for they know not what they do. [applause] forgive them for they know not what they are doing. on behalf of the family, we say unto you, thank you. on behalf of the family, may god bless you and may god forever keep you. [applause]

>> he was every bit of 59 seconds. [laughter] we want to thank you, all of those who have had an opportunity to speak. come now lowcountry voices, and begin to sing "my help," as we prepare our hearts and minds to continue on this journey for this day. >> ♪

>> ♪ i will lift up mine eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help my help cometh from the lord the lord which made heaven and earth he will not slumber, nor sleep for the lord is the keeper the lord is thy shade upon thy

right hand upon thy right hand for the sun shall not smite thee by day nor the moon by night he shall preserve thy soul even forever more my help, my help my help my help

all of my help cometh from the lord my help oh, lord cometh in the lord my lord is thy keeper, oh, my help oh, my help my help cometh from the lord the lord, oh for the lord is thy keeper for the lord is thy keeper

the lord is thy shade upon thy right hand the lord is thy shade upon thy right hand upon thy right hand for the sun shall not smite thee by day nor the moon by night he shall preserve thy soul even forever more my help my help

my help my help, all of my help cometh from the lord all of my help the lord is my keeper

he is my help my light by day he is my light by day the moon by night forever and ever he is my help

my help, your help our help the lord is my help my help, our help the lord the lord is my help our help the lord

i know, i know i know you will i know he will the lord is my help ♪ ♪ >> put your hands together in the spirit of christ. [applause] we want to thank you and acknowledge the head of the national urban league and the former mayor of new orleans. thank you. [applause] rev. al sharpton. [applause] the president of the national naacp, cornell brooks. [applause]

and of course, the legacy continues with the king family. why don't you stand? [applause] let the folks see you. bless your hearts. reverend randolph miller reverend jesse jackson, where are you? stand up. [applause] i didn't see him. i thought you and reverend sharpton were joined at the hip sitting together. [laughter] reverend randolph miller come, with the musical selection called "the old ship of zion." we have the choir that will join in. king jesus is our captain. turn to somebody and say, get on board. come on, reverend miller.

>> [organ plays] >> put your hands together and give god high praise. come on, let me hear you shout hallelujah. let me hear you shout glory. now clap your hands and tell the lord thank you. well, if clementa could speak right now, he's over there with jesus. and he told me to tell you if you want to see it, you've got to get on board. can i get a witness? oh, ship of zion.

it is the old ship of zion and i know it is the old ship of zion oh, get on lord if you want to see oh, come on, get on follow me let me tell you something there's no danger in my choppy waters oh, there's no danger, no danger, no danger

and i know there's no danger in my dark water. tell your neighbor, get on board if you want to see oh, come on and follow me come on help me sing it it has landed many a thousand it has landed

many a thousand oh, i know he has landed many a thousand tell your neighbor get on board if you want to see oh, come on and part of me now here's the best thing king jesus he's the captain oh, king jesus he is he is the captain

oh, and i know king jesus he is the captain oh, get on board if you want to see oh, lord and follow me oh, king jesus he is the captain oh, king jesus, king jesus he is the captain oh, and i know king jesus

he is the captain oh, get on board if you want to see yeah yeah oh get on board follow me if you're old if you're dying oh oh, it is the old ship of zion and i know it is the old ship of zion

everybody get on board if you want to see get on board follow me ♪ ♪ and the people of god shall say amen ♪ ♪ and the people of god shall say amen. let somebody say hallelujah. somebody say, praise the lord. we come now, reverend dr. charles watson will come

followed by the invocation by the presiding elder of the mount pleasant district, the reverend dr. keith. the scripture lesson will be given by the reverend joseph postell. the presiding elder of the lancaster district. dr. watson: a hymn of comfort. it is well. when peace, like a river attendeth my way. when sorrows rose what ere my , lot has taught me to say, it is well with my soul. though satan should buffet and

trials should come, let this blessed assurance control that christ has regarded my helpless estate and shed his own blood for my soul. it is well with my soul. it is well. it is well with my soul. i will ask all but the family to stand as we sing this great son of the church. "it is well."

>> ♪ when peace like a river attendeth my way when sorrows like sea billows roll whatever my lot thou hast taught me to know it is well, it is well, with my soul it is well, it is well with my soul, with my soul it is well, it is well, with my

soul though satan should buffet though trials should come let this blest assurance control that christ has regarded my helpless estate and hath shed his own blood for my soul it is well, it is well with my soul, with my soul

it is well, it is well, with my soul my sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought my sin, not in part but the whole is nailed to the cross and i bear it no more praise the lord, praise the lord o, my soul! it is well, with my soul

it is well, it is well, with my soul oh, trump the angel oh, voice of the lord blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul it is well, it is well with my soul, with my soul it is well

it is well with my soul it is well it is well with my soul it is well, it is well, with my soul it is well with my soul ♪ ♪

[applause] it is well with my soul ♪ ♪ [applause] >> amen.

>> let me invite all of our pastors across this faith community to pray with us and with this family. god of our weary ears, god of our solemn tears, thousand,000, thou who has brought us thus far on faith, who has led us into the light keep us forever in thy path, we pray lest our feet stray from the places, our god, where we might be. to the great grand and supreme architect of the universe, to the one and only true god, the

eternal father, and his son jesus christ, and in the holy ghost, we pray. we gathered this day symbolic of being knee bowed and body bent before the throne of grace. it is this day that we bow our hearts beneath our knees and our knees in some lonesome valley. we have gathered for the celebration, like an empty pitcher to a full fountain. no merits of our own, oh lord, open up a window of heaven. pour out thy blessings among this awaiting congregation. lean out far over the battlements of glory and hear our sincere prayers. lord, have mercy upon our souls,

with the forgiveness of our sins. bless our gathering on this day. this morning, mount up on your milky white horse, and in your ride, ride to save us from our sins and to create within us a clean heart. oh lord, bless our president the president of these united states of america president barack and first lady. pin his ears to the wisdom and make his words as sledgehammers of truth. put his eyes to the telescope of eternity. and let him look upon the paper walls of time. perpetual motion in his arms.

fill him full of dynamite of power. anoint him all over with the balm of salvation and let his tongue be like fire. bless our bishop and supervisor, norris. and all the bishops of our zion and the visiting bishops. bless our congress, our senate, our governor, our mayor, our elected officials and all clergy across the community and their spouses. and this bereaved family and the entire emanuel families. now, oh, lord, when we have drunk our last cup of sorrow when we have been called everything but a child of god when we have done traveling up the rough side of the mountain, oh mary's baby, jesus, stand by us!

we'll start down the steep and slippery steps of death, when the old world begins to rock beneath our feet, lower us to the dusty grave in peace, to await for that great getting up morning. meet us, jesus! that our souls would rest in peace. hallelujah! amen. amen. amen. ♪[music]♪ ♪[singing]♪

♪[singing]♪ ♪[singing]♪

♪[singing]♪

♪[singing]♪

>> our old testament scripture comes from the hoth chapter of -- 40th chapter of isaiah, beginning at verse 18. to whom, then, will you liken god? or what likeness can compare with him? an idol, a workman and a goldsmith overedged with gold? as a gift, one chooses mulberry woods. wood that will not rot. then seek out its a skilled artist to set up an image that will not topple. have you not known, has it not been told to you from the beginning, have you not understood from the foundation of the earth, it is he who sits above the circle of the earth? and its inhabitants are like

grass hoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them like a tent to live in, who brings princes to not and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing. he blows upon them and they whither. and the tempests carry them off like stubbles. to whom will you compare me? who is my equal, says the holy one? lift up your eyes. who created thee? he who brings out the host and numbers them, calling them all by name, because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing. why do you say, oh jacob, and speak, oh israel? have you not known? have you not heard? the lord is the ever lasting

god, the creator of the ends of the earth. he does not grow weary. his understanding is unsearchable. his powerrers give to the faint and strengthen the powerless. even youth can be weary and the young will fall exhausted. but those who wait for the lord shall renew their strength. they shall mount up with wings like eagles. they shall run and not be weary. they shall walk and not faint. the word of god. >> amen. [applause] >> the reading, from paul's first letter to the church in corinth. the 15th chapter, verse 50.

now, this i say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of god nor does corruption inherit incorruption. behold, i tell you a mystery. we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed. in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible. we shall be changed. the corruptible must put on inconcussion and this mortal must put on immortality. so when this more mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the thing that is wring. death is swallowed up in victory. oh death, where is your sting? oh, grave, where is your victory? the sting of death is sin and the strength of the law. thanks be to god, who gives us

the victory through our lord, jesus christ. therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast unmovable, always abounding in the work of the lord. knowing that your labor is not in vain in the lord. the word of god for the people of god. >> our next reading comes from the fourth gospel, the gospel according to john, first chapter, 16th verse. for god so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. for god did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him. whoever believes in him is not condemned but whoever does not believe stands condemned

already, because he has not believed in the name of god the one and only son. this is the verdict. light has come into the world. but men loved darkness instead of light, because their deeds were evil. everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light, for fear that his deeds will be exposed. but whoever lives by the truth comes into the light so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through jesus, the christ. amen. >> amen. >> amen. >> and the people of god shall say amen. at this time it's our opportunity to present to this bereaved family and this entire gathering the presiding overseer of the episcopal district of the methodist episcopal, the chief

pastor the right reverend richard norris. except for the families, all others please rise and receive him. [applause] >> thank you. to all of the established protocol of this day stretching across every segment of this nation and of our government, i rise on behalf of the seventh episcopal district of the methodist episcopal church to express my thanks and appreciation to each of you for your support your encouragement and your support of the family during this time of sorrow and loss. we come not as those who have no

hope but we come reassured that nothing separates us from the love of god. [applause] and therefore, we press on. to do those things which are acceptable in the sight of god. now, even a presiding bishop has sense enough to know not to block the way when the president is waiting to speak. [laughter] >> i ask you to give me just about 40 seconds. to say to you how grateful we are to each of you for what you have done and for what you continue to do. seeing that we are encompassed by so great a cloud of witnesses, i say to us, let us run on! run on and see what the end will be. for i am persuaded that god will bring everything into fruition

and god will bless our going out and our coming in. i stand to say that the nine who lost their lives had at bible study i'm calling upon the board of trustees of allen university to raise a memorial on the campus of that institution -- [applause] >> -- in memory of the nine who lost their lives. i am persuaded that coming generations who will study on the campus of allen will be reminded of the importance of what happened during this period of time. i close by saying to you that we are convinced that south

carolina rose to its greatest height during the last week. [applause] >> there is no period, there is no period in the history of this great state that will excel the love and togetherness that exemplified itself as a result of the dastardly act that was perpetrated a few days ago. but i say that i can tell the world about this. i can tell the nation that i am blessed! ♪[music]♪

>> tell them that he has come. and brought joy to our souls. [applause] ♪[music]♪ >> i am told that it is my responsibility to say that the president of the united states of america the honorable barack obama, will come at this time. [applause]

[applause] [cheering] >> giving all praise and honor to god -- [applause] >> -- the bible call us to hope. to persevere and have faith in

things not seen. they were still living by faith when they died, the scripture tells us. [applause] >> they did not receive the things promised. they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. we are here today to remember a man of god, who lived by faith. a man who believed in things not seen. a man who believed there were better days ahead. off in the distance. a man of service, who

persevered, knowing full well he would not receive all those things he was promised, because he believed his efforts would deliver a better life to those who followed. to jennifer, his beloved wife, lilliana and milana, his beautiful, wonderful daughters. to the mother emanuel family and the people of charleston, the people of south carolina, i cannot claim to have the good fortune to have known reverend pinckney well, but i did have the pleasure of knowing him and meeting him here in south carolina. back when we were both a little bit younger. [laughter]

>> back when i didn't have visible gray hair. [laughter] >> the first thing i noticed was his graciousness, his smile his reassuring baritone, his deceptive sense of humor all qualities that helped him wear so effortlessly the heavy burden of expectation. friends of his remarked this week that when clementa pinckney entered a room, it was like the future arrived. that even from a young age, folks knew he was special. he was the progeny of a long line of the faithful, a family of preachers, who spread god's word a family of protesters,

who so changed, to expand voting rights and desegregate the south. clement heard their instruction and did not forsake their teaching. he was in the pulpit by 13. pastor by 18. public servant by 23. he did not exhibit any of the cockiness of youth nor youth insecurityies. unstidunstead, he set an example worthy of his position, wise beyond his years. in his speech, in his conduct in his love, faith, and purity. as a senator, he represented a sprawling swath of the low country, a place that has long been one of the most neglected

in america a place still racked by poverty and inadequate schools, a place where children can still go hungry and the sick can go without treatment, a place that needed somebody like clementa. [applause] his position in the minority meant the odds of winning more resources for his constituents were often long. his calls for greater equity were too often unheeded. the votes he cast were sometimes lonely. but he never gave up. he stayed true to his

convictions. he would not grow discouraged. after a full day at the capitol he'd climb in his car and hid to the church to draw sustenance from his family, from his ministry, from the community that loved and needed him. there he would fortify his faith and imagine what might be. reverend pinckney embodied a politics that was neither mean nor small. he conducted himself quietly and kindly and diligently. he encouraged progress, not by pushing his ideas along but by seeking out your ideas. partnering with you to make things happen.

he was full of empathy and fellow feeling, able to walk in somebody else's shoes and see through their eyes. no wonder one of his colleagues remembered senator pinckney as the most gentle of the 46 of us. the best of the 46 of us. clem was often asked why he chose to be a pastor and a public servant. but the person who asked probably didn't know the history of a.m.e. church. [applause] >> as our brothers and sisters in the a.m.e. church know, we don't make those distinctions. [laughter]

>> our calling clem once said is not just within the walls of the congregation but the life and community in which our congregation resides. [applause] he embodied the idea that our christian faith demands deeds and not just words. that the sweet hour of prayer actually lasts the whole week long. [applause] >> but to put our faith in action is more than just individual salvation. it's about our collective salvation. to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and house the homeless is not just a call for isolated charity but the imperative of a just society. what a good man!

sometimes i think that's the best thing to hope for when you're eulogized. after all the words and recitations and resumes are read, to just say somebody was a good man. [applause] >> you don't have to be of high station to be a good man. a preacher by 13. pastor by 18. public servant by 23. what a life clementa pinckney lived. what an example he set.

what a model for his faith. and then to lose him at 41, slain in his sanctuary with eight wonderful members of his flock -- >> say it! >> -- each at different stages in life but bound together by a common commitment to god cynthia hurd, susie jackson ethel lance, the middleton doctor, tywanza sanders danielle simmons, sharonda singleton, myra thompson. good people. >> good people. >> decent people.

god-fearing people. [applause] >> people so full of life and so full of kindness, people who ran the race who persevered, people of great faith. to the families of the fallen, the nation shares in your grief. our pain cuts that much deeper because it happened in a church. >> you're right. amen. amen. >> the church is and always has been the center of african-american life. >> that's right. [applause]

president obama: a place to call out own in an too-often hostile world. a sanctuary from so many hardships. houses where the free couldn't gather together and shout -- could gather together and shout hallelujah. restaurants along the underground railroad. bunkers for the foot soldiers of civil rights. -- rest stops along the underground railroad. we continue to organize for jobs and justice. places of scholarship and networking. places where children are