Retired Emanuel AME Pastor Preaches at St. Michael’s, Charleston

By Peg Eastman, St. Michael’s Church, Charleston

On Sunday, August 2, 2015, over 360 people packed St. Michael’s Church, Charleston, to hear the Rev. Dr. John Gillison give the 10:30 a.m. service sermon, “The Perfect Model for All Times.” Gillison had served as Senior Pastor of Mother Emanuel for eight years and was now retired after 56 years of active ministry.
    Opening with prayer, the Rev. Gillison began with Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you that is also in Christ Jesus.” He stressed that this mindset is the perfect model for today’s world and for all time.
    Gillison stressed that Christians must give up their comfort zones. He described a “reluctant Moses,” who liberated his people and Martin Luther King, who responded to the cries of his people as examples.
    “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” were Jesus’ immortal words when he hung suffering on the cross, Gillison told the crowd. And forgiveness, love and a hope of salvation were what the bereaved families at Mother Emmanuel offered to the murderer of their loved ones in an act that confounded and inspired not only Charleston, but the entire world. Their forgiveness was a powerful sermon, for they wanted to be like Jesus in their hearts. He went on to say that he was thankful for the great outpouring of love to the bereaved families and Mother Emmanuel Church and thanked St. Michael’s Church for its support.
    Gillison stressed that as Christians, we can know “hope in piles of ashes,” and asked the timeless question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” “In spite of bad things, we must have love in our hearts and be able to offer forgiveness,” he said. He stressed that we will never attain perfection, and that all of us are constantly “becoming Christians.”
    The Rev. Al Zadig, Rector of St. Michael’s, concluded the service by asking Gillison to be St. Michael’s teacher in a longstanding relationship through the power of the Holy Spirit. He stressed that the morning’s service was intended to plant seeds for the future.
     The Rev. Al Zadig moderated a Q&A session with Gillison afterward. People asked, “What does it look like to truly forgive?” “What was is like for the Rev. Gillison to forgive?’ And “what do you think Jesus would say after the tragedy at Mother Emmanuel Church?” among other questions.
    Gillison stressed that the white and the black communities need to know each other better. He challenged white churches to study black history and contributions blacks have made through the years. To heal the divide between the races, he suggested teaching children love and brotherhood and urged those present to avoid  making generalizations about blacks, depersonalizing them and continuing the “spirit of paternalism.” He urged everyone to practice what we preach and keep on praying. He stressed that “God moves in mysterious ways his wonders to perform.” When asked what we should pray for, he asked the congregation to pray for Bishop Richard Morris’s health and that he will appoint the right pastor for Mother Emmanuel.
    The Rev. Al Zadig introduced the Galatians Task Force which has been seeking a path forward using Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”