Sign The Petition | Emanuel Nine Feast Day

Below is the text of the petition. The majority of the petition is the text of the resolution itself. If you would like your own commentary to be delivered along with your signature, don’t forget to add your testimony in the “comments” form of the petition box.

Why do you need to give your zip code? Do you have to be Lutheran? This an other frequently asked questions are at the bottom of the page.

Petition Text

To Establish June 17th as Emanuel 9 Feast Day of Repentance
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To: Churchwide Assembly Voters
From: [Your Name]
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I sign this petition to affirm my support and to publicly cry out for the passage of the following resolution during the 2019 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Resolution: To establish June 17th as Emanuel 9 feast day of repentance

Submitted by

WHEREAS the Lord teaches us “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.”(Luke 5:31-32); and

WHEREAS, the Emanuel 9 (Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney, Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, Depayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Rev. Daniel L. Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and Myra Thompson) on June 17th 2015, while in prayer and bible study at the historic African-American church, Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Charleston, South Carolina were murdered by a self-professed white supremacist adult who was raised and formed in the ELCA; and

WHEREAS, that self-professed white supremacist espoused racist rhetoric and epithets before and after committing these murders; and

WHEREAS, two of his victims, Rev. Daniel Lee Simmons Sr., and Rev. Clementa Pickney, were graduates of the Lutheran Theology Southern Seminary, one of 8 ELCA seminaries.; and

WHEREAS, the deep sin of white supremacy and racism continues to be a plague and hindrance in the life of the ELCA as a church called to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America reaffirm its commitment to repentance from racism by:

1. Venerating June 17th as a feast day of repentance in the ELCA for the martyrdom of the Emanuel 9; and

2. Having the names of the Emanuel 9 (Clementa C. Pinckney, Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, Depayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel L. Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and Myra Thompson) added to future ELCA publications to venerate their martyrdom and lead us to repentance because of the white supremacy and racism in our church; and

3. Calling for this feast day be grounded in prayer as the Emanuel 9 were murdered while in prayer at the end of the bible study; and

4. Directing the Division on Worship to help develop future worship prayers and litanies around repentance from racism; and

5. Giving both prayer and financial support the memorial to be built in remembrance of the Emanuel 9 (https://www.emanuelnine.org/); and

6. Be in deeper conversations with the AME church on ways of reconciliation and repentance on the matters of white supremacy and racism.

Authored 18 June 2019 by: Rev. Michael Vinson, Rev. Kenneth Wheeler, Rev. Kwame Pitts, Rev. Angela Khabeb, Rev. Anglea Shannon, Ms. Suzannah Porter, Francisco Herrera, M.Div., Yvette NewberryWhite

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To Establish June 17th as Emanuel 9 Feast Day of Repentance

Target: Churchwide Assembly Voters

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Petition FAQs
Technical FAQ’s

What is this petition about?

This petition asks the Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA to pass the resolution and make June 17th Emanuel Nine Feast Day of Repentance. As such, it will be added to the Evangelical Lutheran Worship publication. The particular characteristics of this day, as noted in the resolution, will be grounding the day in prayer, and repentance from racism.

Do I need to be Lutheran or an ELCA member to sign it?

Absolutely not! There are lots of people who are visitors to our churches, come from other denominations, or are in an ecumenical partnership with us who are also affected by this resolution. Your voice matters too.

There are two fields on the petition form for “Congregation” and “Synod,” in order to help us keep track of how many people are signing from each synod. If you do not know your synod, make sure you enter your zip code so we can manually find it later.

To whom are the petition and signatures sent?

We will be presenting the results of this petition to Churchwide Assembly voters (particularly those who represent your synod) and other ELCA leadership in a position to move the resolution forward. They will receive a PDF with the text of the petition and a list of all signers names and comments.

What if I do not have a congregation?

That’s ok! There’s many of us still looking for a faith home. Just click the box that says “I don’t have a congregation right now.”

What if I do not know my synod?

That’s ok! Especially if you do not currently have a congregation, it would be hard to know your synod. Some states only have 1 synod in their state and others might have many more. Our synods vary in size. You have two options:

You can check the box that says “I do not know my synod”
You can look up your synod on the ELCA site. It’s not that intuitive so here is a tutorial:

Who sees the information I provide on these forms?

If you sign the petition, your name, synod, and any comments you submitted will be presented to those voting at Churchwide Assembly – especially those who represent your synod, as well as other ELCA leadership who are in a position to move the resolution forward. They will receive only:

Your Name
Your Synod (If provided)
Your Congregation (If provided)
Your Comments (If provided)

Only the organizers of the resolution have access to any other information you provide.

We do not sell your information to anyone.

How can I testify more than just my name?

Fully fill in the “Comments” section of the petition signature form. This will be delivered along with your signature. Here’s an example:

Can I change the text in the petition?

No. The petition text needs to remain exactly as it is. (The text has to be in a certain form in order to be approved for consideration.) If you would like to comment on your testimony regarding the subject matter, please remember to put your commentary in the “comments” section.

Why do I need to give my Zip Code and Email?

Zip Code is required so that we can keep track of how many signatures there are per synod. This allows us to give an accurate count to Assembly voters as to how many people have signed in the areas they are serving.

Email is required so that the technology can prove you are actually human, and so that we can email you updates when your petition is delivered.

What if my form didn’t go through?

Contact us and let us know the make and model of device you are on (iPad, HP Laptop, android 8.0) and any details about what happened. Contact form:

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