are gone from a sadly, but their lives will not have ended in vain overlord, we will not allow that to happen. we will ever strive to remember each of these persons to hold their own loved ones and our hearts, and to mention them in our prayers, and to ask again and again that you will provide the comfort to their family members and friends the comfort that only you can provide you may we, as your servants by your grace move forward and be stronger than ever. the late senator pinckney, loving father inspiring and hard-working member of our state senate touched our lives oh god

in so many ways. it is almost impossible not to imagine his presence in the hallways, meeting rooms and buildings in columbia. the warmth of his smile the depth of his caring spirit. his insightful viewpoints cannot be replaced. but what we all can do to honor senator pinckney and others who were so tragically taken from us in the moment of separation in society. to come together as americans under the nation's plowed flag and to celebrate the flag of this state that we love and to embrace one another in a spirit of unity that will bring greater blessings than ever to each woman, man, young person and child here in south carolina and

throughout the nation. by your grace oh god, may we honor you by our positive responses and may we face the coming days in a loving spirit of your son, our savior, in whose wondrous and glorious name we pray. god bless you all. [applause] >> a profit is not without honor except in his own country. there you have it. clement to see pinckney, -- clement aa c. pinkney.

there is much to be said about senator pinckney and those are knew him. i will add my praise to the man he was and the life he lived. to others who knew senator pinckney, we will miss hearing his voice. i will miss him working on legislation that saw to lift people up. i will miss him sitting across the senate chambers from me. i will miss being his personal lawyer. we will always miss our friends but know this, senator pinckney without a doubt loved you. he loved people. he loved serving people. he answered life's mo pervasive

question and that was what are you doing for others. didn't matter who you were or where you came from, he extended a hoping hand and an open heart to all walks of life. that is just the kind of man he was. he loved his role as a pastor and he loves his role in the south carolina senate and hezbollah of it district 45. like any other individual whose life abruptly and tragically comes to an end, we all miss the man he would have become. that sweet spirit in the senate. we wanted to continue with him so we have passed a resolution in the south carolina senate so we will hang his portrait among those of south carolina. for the ages. [applause]

and all of the change that you want to see, all of the change you wanted to do and all of the things we talked to because of you, we want to see the confederate flag come down here and south carolina. [applause] he championed greater access to health care for the poor through medicaid expansion. he saw his range of social economic status, he railed against discriminatory lending

services that disproportionately affected the poor. he fought tirelessly for a poor justice system. most recently and eloquently, he pushed for the use of body cameras to protect those from those who are sworn to serve and protect us. it seemed that his voice always had its greatest impact, but perhaps that is why it resonates with us. i will miss his leadership and counsel to guide us in difficult times in days to come. particularly in days like this. he loved his family. that included his emmanuel church family and his senate family. he called himself an itinerant

preacher and his first calling was to god. jennifer, you have been amazing. [applause] clementa loved you. you wanted to share him with the world. you have done that. he went to the church at his roots, he has come back to mother emmanuel, we are sharing him now and is a credit to you you take him back to marion south carolina see you can be near his mother in the family cemetery that meant so much to him. you know that your daddy loved you, his precious little girls. but we will end up taking care

of you. [applause] love is what senator pinckney leaves with us and that was his legacy. all that we can do is keep his love alive through legislation. i would say to all of you that his sacrifice must lead to reconciliation. [applause] senator pinckney's last act as a christian and as a senator was to open his doors to someone whom he did not know, who he did not understand and who did not look like him. in the days and weeks ahead let us not close the doors that

senator pinckney gave his life for us to open. [applause] did not give in to temptation and let anger and resentment close those doors that senator pinckney opened. do not let race, religion or politics close the doors of dialogue that senator pinckney opened to make us better people. do not close the doors that he insisted we hear, to love each other, to forgive even when it is hard to do. let us remember him who always be the angel on our shoulder whispering good things in our ears, and to live our faith and be reminded to love one another. if we do that, we will answer the prayer that he would want that we would have won the

righteousness and every heart beauty and every character harmony in every home and peace in the world. god bless you, brother. [applause] >> when i was asked to say a few words about clementa, i found it difficult to put into words what i need to say and what i want to say.

clementa was more than a friend, he was like a son to me. we shared many hours talking about issues and faith and life. i can tell you this from my conversation with him. he loved his church. he loved the church that he pastored, mother emmanuel. as a matter of fact, he loved every church that he ever pastored. i want you to understand that when hate abruptly and's the life of someone special it seems that we quickly respond. it is our nature to come together and ignore all that divides and to repudiate hate.

it is time like these that we mourn the lives that were so devalued in these senseless killings. but we make a point to a firm that all lives matter. [applause] a senator pinckney were here today, i think that he would tell us that we are far too tolerant of watching people slowly and methodically die over years, decades and generations. people are dying every day. physically and spiritually. because of what we do and what we don't do in the state house and in our social community. our policies and our legislation. our choices of leaders all work

together sometimes to deprive the poor, the minorities and the disinherited of the opportunity for life more abundantly. this suffering under the weight of institutional oppression was not lost on senator pinckney. you saw how structural subjugation not only took life but how it somehow robbed people of hope. i believe that he grieved for them just as we grieve for him now. he saw to and and ease their suffering. when too many were concerned about the social and moral stigma associated with hiv or aids, senator pinckney was fighting for more state funding and medicine for those with hiv. when far too many have been far too comfortable for far too long

with poor people paying exorbitant rates to borrow a little piece of money, senator pinckney advocated for fair lending practice and payday institutions. when far too many people were interested in picking a political fight without precedent rather than doing what is right for our people. [applause] senator pinckney actively saw to expand coverage to the poor and working families of our state. when policymakers were seeking to erect barriers to government benefits, senator pinckney pushed through a program to allow poor families to get more fresh fruit than vegetables. to put more healthy food on the table. when far too many found no shame

in the corridor of shame. senator pinckney worked to increase educational funding for our children and school districts. when folks try to deprive us of our constitutional rights senator pinckney stood strong against the peddlers of voter id. one far too many people would have us remain ignorant of the law and our rights, senator pinckney worked to empower people with knowledge so his people would not parish. -- perish. when we were in different, he saw injustice. when we were weak, he was strong.

his advocacy for the least of us reflected the best in us. his heart and compassion reflected his faith and it was faith that he believed could unite us to do great things. if we want to remember senator pinckney, member him when you are tempted to do what is politically expedient, instead of what is right. remember him. remember him when you find it easier to criticize than to work constructively. remember him when you find yourself more focused on our differences that on what we have in common. remember him.

remember him. do more than remember him, but live to make sure that his life legacy lives on. god bless you. [applause] >> and the people of god shall say amen. at this time, i will ask everyone to rise in your respective places and receive the senior bishop of the african methodist a piscopo church. -- episcopal church. the right reverend john brian. [applause]

only god can snack victory out of the jaws of seeming defeat. only god majors in following good friday with easter sunday. only god is able to take you through the wilderness in order to lead you into the promised land. this week the eyes of the world

have been on the african methodist episcopal church. the oldest historically black denomination in the western hemisphere. historically, we are the stones that the builders rejected. on behalf of the council of bishops and our council president julius mcallister senior. our family friend, senior bishops would sit amongst us and

an army of ecumenical friends who made it across the mires being displayed. to help us answer the question what kind of people are these? the nation has seen us take a heavy blow in the scripture jonathan says to david your place will be missed at the table. clementa pinckney's place will be missed at the table.

along with the other aids. yet, others are taking it personally. they cannot understand why they have not viewed more anger and bitterness and hatred as a result of the bloat we have taken. it is because of who we hang out with. how -- our secret is in our lord. can i call his name? his name is jesus.

[applause] someone should have told the young man, he wanted to start a race war but he came to the wrong place. [applause]

so, i want to invite your prayers for our president today. for he has the head of responsibility of not only standing as the statesman, a global statesman but as a churchman. we as a church would be more than pleased if somebody in this crowd somebody on that television would hear the word about our jesus. already, clementa is with the

cloud of witnesses. just imagine how he will feel if somebody gets saved off of this. we believe that weeping may and/or for a night. but -- what is it? what is it? joy comes in the morning. and since a week ago we have seen occasion for joy, they are who came by and would not leave

it. a governor who was bold enough to declare that it is time to take it down. weeping may and/or for a night. but joy comes in the morning. touch the person next to you and tell them, good morning. >> sister jennifer, the senior bishop reminds all of us that

joy comes in the morning. and for that we say, to god be the glory. let me remind those who are to follow the senior bishop to make remarks, particularly when they have reverend next to their names -- [laughter] the senior bishop has spoken but we want to hear from those who are listed for reflection. let me acknowledge u.s. senator lindsay graham, who is here with us. [applause] >> come now as you are listed on our home going celebration worship guide. come and share your reflections.

>> to the bishop of the church and all of the established protocol, it gives me great honor today to say a word on behalf of my friend and my brother, the late reverend clementa pinckney. ruling must not be used as pretext by washington to erode our right to religious liberty." next up neurosurgeon dr. ben carson with this. "while i strongly disagree with the supreme court's decision their ruling is now the law of the land. i call on congress to make sure deeply held religious views are respected and protected. the government must never force christians to violate their religious believes." former arkansas governor mike huckabee vowed to oppose the ruling saying this "only the supreme being can redefine marriage. i will not acquiesce to an imperial court any more than our

i thank you so much, mrs. pinckney, for this opportunity. i was praying about what to say in the two plus minutes that i have. and as i was praying i awokened on thursday morning and this is what the lord said. tell the people that he walked the talk. a fellow clergy person by the name of the apostle paul in ephesians 4:1-3 -- don't get nervous -- said, therefore, the prisoner of the lord beseech you that we walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called. reverend clementa pinckney walked the talk. it has been said that i'd rather see a sermon lived any day than just preach. reverend pinckney lived as he taught. he was the embodyment of the sermon. he loved god. he loved people. he was humble, caring, compassionate, supportive, encouraging, compassionate, respectful, honest, a man of integrity. he was positive, he was a servant leader, a counselor, a mentor, a pastor par excellence, a phenomenal human being. as i prepare to take my seat in the last minute and a half i have -- [laughter] to sum it all up, he was god's

anointed servant. [applause] jesus said, let your light so shine before men that they will see your good work and glorify the father, which is in heaven. clementa pinckney walked the talk. jesus said, but seek ye first the kingdom of god and his righteousness and all these things shall be added on to you. he walked the talk. he said, a new commandment that i give unto you, that you love one another as i have loved you. love you one another. clementa pinckney walked the talk. jesus said, love god with all your heart, mind, and soul, and love your neighbor as you love yourself. he walked the talk. can y'all help me? if y'all help me i'll be through in just a moment. jesus said, love your enemy. >> he walked the talk. >> jesus said the spirit of the lord is upon me because he has

anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. he has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captive, to recover the sight to the blind and to preach the acceptable year of the lord. he -- >> walked the talk. >> i just want to ask all the preachers in the house right now in honor of our brother and friend, can you all just stand and join in saying with me, he walked the talk. can the members of emmanuel ame church rise and say -- >> he walked the talk! >> matter of fact, can everybody in here just rise and say, he walked the talk. thank you. god bless you. [applause] >> to the bishops of the church

and all the distinguished persons who are assembled in this sacred room, the reverend clementa pinckney's life was chiseled by god. our god specializes in masterpieces of art. and as we behold his artistic work, certainly our souls cry out how great thou art. as we observe the great and gigantic mountains of the world, and all of the stately trees like the big oak trees, and you should visit angel oak while

you're in charleston at john's island and those tall, redwood trees in california and elsewhere and as we look at the green grass carpeting the earth we say, god is great. but i do want you to know that as we look at the light of the reverend clementa pinckney, god chiseled his life. he molded and shaped him into a great and outstanding man, molded him and shaped him into a great leader of our world. in doing that, in chiseling his life he had to chip away some things as he always does for all of us. he chipped away fear. he chipped away ignorance. he chipped away impatience and apathy and selfishness and ingratitude because all of those

things had they been in him as he was chiseling his life into a great piece of art, then his life would not have been as valuable as it has become. and therefore people respected him and they loved him. because of who he was. should hear every one of those statements and imagine what would they be saying if they were saying the same thing when the supreme court voted on "loving v. virginia" or that women would no longer be property in marriage. and we said no no we want an exception to that. or we'd like a constitutional he was an intelligent man, a creative thinker. an erudite orator and preacher. a melodious voice. calm, cool, collected. a family man he was. he served the church well. he served the government well. and therefore he became a special piece of art. now his work is done and i am so happy to serve as his presiding elder. he served as pastor. as he passes, the church, mother

emmanuel, i want you to know that this man was real. your real value comes from within not without. when i was a student at the school where the reverend clementa went, the choir sang, use today sing a beautiful spiritual that i loved so dearly.

and the words were, good lord, i done done. i done done what you told me to do. certainly as the conclusion to this life has come i'm sure those words are applicable to his life and i can hear reverend pinckney using those words and paraphrasing them. good lord, i done done. i done done. what you told me to do. you told me to preach. and i done that, too. you told me to care for the under privileged and i done that too. you told me to be a good family man.

you told me to stand up and fight for justice. and equality for all people. and i done that, too. good lord, i done done. i done done what you told me to do. and now reverend pinckney since you done what the lord told you to do, i want you to know that the lord has done what he told you he would do. he promised that he would be with us always to the end of the world. so he's going to take care of that wonderful wife and those wonderful daughters. he told you. he's going to be our bread in starving land.

he's going to be our shelter in the time of storm. so, therefore, my brother, you've done your work. go on and take your rest. servant of god, well done. the victory is won. enter into the master's joy. [applause] >> to our bishop of the church and to all of us mrs. pinckney and this family.

over the past few days the department of global witness and ministry of the african methodist episcopal church has received many condolences and comforting thoughts. on behalf of this family and the mother emmanuel church community. from my partners in mission as well as from the communions of faith and colleagues around the world. they ask that we convey our prayerful support and their deepest condolences.

in his brief but impacting life, my university brother the honorable reverend clementa pinckney upheld and lived out the guiding principles of our great school as he taught through his precepts and examples the mind of people to think, the hands of people to work, and the hearts of people to love. i met this young, brilliant, tall all star as he metriculated at allen university. he came from good stock. his mother and i were classmates

at allen, and his uncle the reverend laverne stevenson who later became presiding elder was my grandmother's pastor in columbia. reverend pinckney's great love for humanity and his passion for the kingdom of god moved him to use his natural talents and his spiritual giftedness to raise the moral consciousness of his congressional colleagues as well as faith communities.

his unique calling emphasized the awareness of the injustices not only in the city of charleston but in the state of south carolina, the nation, and the world. his message was one of liberation and love for all people. his persona was soothing to the cries and concerns of the least of them. and to our children as well as our elders. his powerful voice was a voice of reason for the oppressed and the hopeless as well as the discouraged and the disappointing. he spoke up and spoke for those who could not speak for themselves as he recognized that they had no seat at the table. he had a genuine love for god and for helping people no matter their gender, their race religion, or their belief. eople that own it know next week we want more money not to know there's a bar here. the big raid was the vice squad and police heads quarters. that was the big raid. >> and it was just the culmination of the frustration? >> it was like -- >> -- willthat led to the riots? >> when the normal cops came in they said "line up girls." these guys were hitting people ethics and excellent

intertwined his christian witness. what a wonderful gift of affirmation shared with us by our late comrade and brother. the honor clementa pinckney was committed to the cause of african methodism taking full use of the authority given him in order to prophetically shepherd congregations. in order to make and grow disciples of jikes. in order to teach the word of god. and in order to love one's enemies as one's self. his ministry embodied the scripture, which reminds us that when we entertain strangers, we may very well be entertaining angels unaware. we are grateful for the hope that reverend pinckney had for all african methodism as well as christian faith community. he shall be remembered today and in the days ahead for his quick wit, his giant smile, and his enorgeous heart. so we miss his priceless spirit,

his unfailing presence, his faithful witness. i am convinced that his spirit will live on in all of the goodness in all of the laughter, and all of the support that he has given to his family, his friends, his colleagues, to african methodism, and to the christian faith community. and as the song writer says, blessed be the tie that binds. our hearts in christian love. the fellowship of kindred mind is like to that above.

when we are sund apart it gives us inward pain but we shall still be joined in heart and hope to meet again. we'll see you in the morning. [applause] >> thank you so much. as we continue to celebrate this life we will have the tribute from mother emmanuel ame church here in charleston, south carolina and sister carla jones comes to read this resolution, i'll ask that every member of mother emmanuel when she begins to read, would you please stand.

followed by a selection of mother emmanuel choir entitled "going up yonder." >> hear ye the resolution from mother emmanuel african methodist episcopal church. 110 calhoun street, charleston south carolina, 29401. june 26, 2015. according to his tender mercy, god, who is infinite in his wisdom has seen fit to move from our midst. our beloved pastor reverend clementa pinckney in christ by means of death on the 17th day of june, 2015, whereas we, the ministerial staff, the senior board of trustees, and the

members of mother emmanuel ame church expressed our condolences and love to the family during this joyous celebration of a life well lived. whereas, reverend clementa pinckney was the beloved pastor of mother emmanuel since 2010. whereas, reverend clementa pinckney was a kind and gentle soul that led his church with a quiet strength. whereas with his commanding voice, he provided weekly

sermons that left you inspired, hopeful, and feeling closer to god. whereas under his leadership reverend pinckney remained focused on the members by merging our two services creating what he described as one service, one family, one church. he also instituted annual health fairs and organized member retreats for the reviving and renewal of members. whereas, with his relationship he created good will in the

community among other churches communities, organizations, and businesses, whereas under his leadership the church's parsonnage, properties, number 9 henrietta street, number 106 calhoun, were renovated. he was also adamant that the congregation achieve our long-time dream to install an elevator. he was passionate about this project because he wanted our elderly members to enjoy service in the sanctuary. be it resolved that we the members of mother emmanuel ame church offer our heart felt sympathy to the family of our

pastor, reverend clementa pinckney, on the loss of their dear loved one. we will miss him. but his contributions to our church will remain forever in our hearts. be it further resolved, that a copy of this resolution be given to the family and a copy kept in the mother emmanuel ame church historical archives. humbly submitted, reverend dr. goff, presiding elder of the district, the ministerial staff, the senior board, the senior board of trustees, and the members of emmanuel ame church. >> amen. [applause] journal@c-span.org

♪ ♪ if you want to know

where i'm going where i'm going if anybody asks you where i'm going where i'm going

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

details. let's also get to the historic decision of the united states today by a 5-4 vote the court legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states and the district of columbia. cheers broke out in the crowd gathered in front of the court as the decision was revealed. 13 states ♪

♪ ♪

♪ >> we ask now that we come and listen to the acknowledgment of

civic and religious leaders. we ask that the ushers now as we continue and 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 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 extraordinary 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 voice at benedict college. miss jan marie christie joyce, viola from the trust and -- charleston symphony orchestra. the young metropolitan, ms. key on a richardson. and your own mr. becker, concertmaster of the trust and symphony orchestra. we present this from our heart to yours. ♪

♪

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

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

♪ ♪

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

♪ [singing and instrumental music] ♪

♪ [singing and instrumental music]

[applause] rev. chris vaughn: how good and pleasant it 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 emmanuel ame church before 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 the other day to pick up the phone to call 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 we 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 say 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 ame 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 nor did 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. 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 allen 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 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 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. hurch. 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. and 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 eliana yvette, because 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 who am i and where did i come from and who 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 >> ♪

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