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Wichita Church Holds Prayer Vigil After Charleston AME Church Shooting

St. Paul AME Church website

A prayer vigil at Wichita’s St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church took place Thursday afternoon in response to the shooting at an AME church last night in Charleston, South Carolina. KMUW’s Carla Eckels reports.

Dozens of ministers, civic leaders and community members attended the vigil, praying for the families of the victims killed while attending bible study at the historic EmanuelAMEChurch in Charleston, South Carolina.

Credit St. Paul AME Church website
Rev. Joseph Nixon

"Something is wrong. The world is just in a bad way right now when these types of things happen," said Rev. Joseph Nixon, pastor of St. Paul AME Church. "You would think a safe haven would be the church. But now we're seeing the church is not even safe."

Several AME churches throughout the nation are also holding prayer vigils in the wake of the slayings. A suspect, 21-year-old Dylann Roof, was arrested in connection with what officials are calling a hate crime.

Nixon says any contributions to aid the South Carolina Church will be collected and delivered .

This piece originally aired June 18, 2015, during All Things Considered.

Carla Eckels is Director of Organizational Culture at KMUW. She produces and hosts the R&B and gospel show Soulsations and brings stories of race and culture to The Range with the monthly segment In the Mix. Carla was inducted into The Kansas African American Museum's Trailblazers Hall of Fame in 2020 for her work in broadcast/journalism.