Free to Be

Reverend Sharonda Coleman-Singleton,
Mrs. Cynthia Graham Hurd,
Mrs. Susie J. Jackson,
Mrs. Ethel Lee Lance,
Reverend DePayne Middleton-Doctor,
Reverend Clementa Pinckney,
Tywanza Kibwe Diop Sanders,
Reverend Daniel Lee Simmons, Sr.,
and Mrs. Myra Singleton Quarles Thompson.

After their murders on June 17, 2015, this Bible study group of Mother Emanuel AME in Charleston, South Carolina, became known as the Emanuel 9.

They welcomed a stranger into their group that night, and in doing so, served as disciples of Jesus, sharing abundant love and welcome through courage, compassion, and curiosity. These acts of love were met with evil and hatred.

These 9 were pastors, parents, educators, public servants, mentors, and friends. They were people deeply invested in their communities and committed to serving others.

Their martyrdom came through an act of racist violence rooted in white supremacist ideology. These acts of violence were not simply the action of one individual; they expose the prevalence of an enduring power of beliefs and systems that continue to divide people, deny human dignity, and place some lives at greater risk than others.

Remembering the Emmanuel 9 is more than an act of mourning. It is an invitation.

It is an invitation to examine our own assumptions,
to listen to experiences different from our own,
and to recognize how fear and prejudice distort our understanding of one another.

It is an invitation, to consider the possibility of courage, compassion, and community, even in the face of hatred.

It is an invitation to move beyond complacency and to engage in the hard work of building communities where every person is seen, valued, and treated with dignity.

May the love of all continue to gather us, heal us, and set us free from the evil and hatred in our communities, as we remember together the lives of the Emanuel 9.

Art by Philippe Lazaro
https://www.philippelazaro.com/stories/emanuel9

Are you available to be of service to our neighbors?

Thursday - 8am - Star of Bethlehem
Canned goods need to get moved into the Food Pantry.

All hands on deck! (Please help us spread the word by sharing this post - add your own comment at the top so it reaches more folks.)

A delivery of 1776 lbs. (yes, really!) of food will be delivered this Thursday (June 18) at 8 am. The pallets will be dropped in the parking lot and a conveyer belt system will get the food downstairs.

If you can help, just meet us Thursday morning in the parking lot. Much of the unloading does NOT require heavy lifting. This is a great project for high school and college students.

Star of Bethlehem Lutheran Church
514 Third Avenue
Bethlehem
610-865-2684

Help us !

Lauren and the leaders from other New Ministries, got to share a bit about what they're up to, planting seeds of love and hope in the world.

Synod Assembly is the gathering of 300+ leaders from ELCA congregations in northeastern Pennsylvania to make decisions on behalf of our 'community of communities.' 💓

Happy Pride Month 🏳️‍🌈

The Love that sets us free to show up and share that same Love with the world, doesn't discriminate, so neither do we.

You are loved. Fully and completely. ✌🏻💜

🤓
What a great time to be together!

Thank you, people of Prince of Peace for such a warm welcome today!

The Holy Spirit is stirring all over to share the peace and love of God with the world.

✌🏻💜

Pentecost Worship, 5/24/26 at Prince of Peace, Bangor, PA Worship Service for the Day of Pentecost, May 24, 2026. Recorded at Prince of Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Bangor, Penna.

Snapshots of joy and freedom amid the third week of May-cember!
The 'memory garden' of Irises is in bloom.
And Puppy Blue took her first 6am walk after sleeping through the night!

Where/when are you experiencing freedom this week?

Tell us in the comments or tag us in your post!

Kid empties their folder onto the kitchen table.

Kid: "hey Mom, look, there's 4 weeks left of school."

Drop your reaction in the comments :

Where do you feel most free?

Share a picture of your place with us in the comments.

We dropped the link to Episode 8 of the Free to Be Podcast in the first comment for context ✌️💜📸