On the recordMarch 16, 2022
I rise today to reflect on a dark day in Georgia's recent history. One year ago today, a hateful act of violence shook Metropolitan Atlanta and reverberated across our State, our country, and indeed the world. In the span of just a few hours, our sense of safety and sanctuary was pierced by bullets of hate and fear. Eight precious people lost their lives--eight people who were loved by their families, their friends, their children; eight people with their own successes and struggles, hopes, and dreams. We speak their names: Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng. My heart aches for these Georgians and their families for whom I am sure the wounds are still fresh. They were the victims of unconscionable, senseless hate. As a pastor, I believe in the sacred worth of every human being--that we are a strange admixture of dust and divinity, of sod and sky, of beauty and possibility. So I will ask now for all of my colleagues and everyone who can to join me in taking a moment of silence to remember these eight Georgians and to pray, each in our own way, for their families. (Moment of silence.) Thank you.
