“Mother Emanuel continues to be a light in the pathway of darkness and very resilient,” he said. “When it was announced that the president would be here, someone took the liberty of going on our Facebook page and saying Dylann Roof is a hero. That’s what we deal with.”
He said the congregation — sometimes about 100 in person and 1,000 online — nevertheless stands firm and continues to grow.
The men of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. lead a crowd of people in prayer outside the Mother Emanuel AME Church on June 19, 2015, after a memorial in Charleston, South Carolina. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)
On Saturday, Vice President Kamala Harris is also scheduled to be in the state, where she will speak to the annual retreat of the AME Church’s Seventh Episcopal District Women’s Missionary Society in Myrtle Beach.
Like Biden did earlier, Harris is expected to discuss the attacks on the Capitol.
“Regarding January 6th, the Vice President will address the full-on assault on hard-fought, hard-won freedoms we are seeing across our nation — and will call the members of the AME Church to continue to stand in defense of our most sacred principles,” a White House official said.
More than 1,000 people are expected at the retreat, reported The Christian Recorder, the official publication of the AME Church.
This article originally appeared here.
