Beyond the month when Spring turns to Summer, June is also a
Music Month, and the month during which we honor fathers. We
EmanuelA.M.E. Church in Charleston, S.C., who were murdered
month of observances: it is Men’s Health Month, Black
, also remember this month the nine members of Mother
on June 17,2015. As noted on the enclosed flyeq we will
honor them – and commemorate the Juneteenth holiday – with a special Virtual Bible Study on Wednesday, June 14, at 6
p.m. We will watch the critically acclaimed movie, Emanuel, and reflect on the impact of the event on American life.

Given the rise hate crimes and national embrace of Trumpism in the eight years since the Mother Emanuel massacre, the
significance of the tragedy cannot be understated. We will, for example, wear orange on Sunday, June 4, for Gun Violence
Awareness Sunday, in solidarity with the victims of gun violence and the communities impacted by this uniquely American
phenomenon.

Relatedly, on Friday, June 16, during the First District Post-Conference Convocation and Planning meeting, there is a
workshop on “Emergency Preparedness: Church Drills and Active Shooter Planning Protocols,” which is co-facilitated by
the Revs. Lisa M. Williamson, M.D., and Earl E. Perrin. You may remember the former as one of the panelists for our
COVID- l9 Vaccine Hesitancy workshop in September 2021, and the later as the newly appointed pastor of Delaine-Waring
AMEC – Buffalo.