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Leaders of an African Methodist Episcopal Church in Minneapolis Sunday vowed to keep the church open to everyone despite the racially-motivated attack on an AME church in South Carolina last week.


"Our faith will not be stolen, even by violence as heinous as the assassination of nine innocent people," said Nazim Fakir, pastor at St. Peter's African Methodist Episcopal Church in Minneapolis.  Security is on the minds of many parishioners, Fakir said, but closing the doors to outsiders would be against the church's mission. "It's just that we also have to be vigilant and be careful and discerning about those that come in," he said.


At St. Peter's worship service Sunday,  the Rev. Brian Herron of Zion Baptist Church, a guest preacher, criticized South Carolina leaders for continuing to display the Confederate flag at the State Capitol. 


St. Peter's is hosting an interfaith service Wednesday evening to mark a week since the shooting.

Correction (June 21, 2015): An earlier version of this story misattributed a quote.

Matt Sepic

Author

"Our faith will not be stolen," said Nazim Fakir, pastor at St. Peter's African Methodist Episcopal Church in Minneapolis.

Minneapolis AME church vows openness after Charleston killings

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