Church of God Responds to Ferguson Grand Jury Decision

In the wake of Monday night’s announcement of the grand jury decision that Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted for the August 9 shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown Jr. and the subsequent indications of protest, Church of God General Overseer Mark Williams called for a calm, reasoned, and prayerful response.

“I was touched by the plea from the father of the young man who was killed,” said Williams, “and I join him and members of the clergy in the St. Louis area in asking the local residents there, as well as people everywhere who feel strongly about the incident, to remain composed and reasonable.”

Williams referred to the November 24 statement by Michael Brown Sr., “No matter what the grand jury decides, I do not want my son’s death to be in vain; I want it to lead to positive change.” Addressing those who had joined in demonstrations in August that led to riots, Brown declared, “Hurting others or destroying property is not the answer.”

Christian leaders were able, during the August troubles, to bring calm in several tense situations. On one occasion, they positioned themselves between demonstrators and police and kneeled on the street in prayer, effectively avoiding a violent confrontation.

Williams’ statement included the following petition:

“In a spirit of camaraderie and love, I call upon all peace-loving people to set an example of calm, reasoned response to the events in Ferguson. In recent weeks clergy and church members in that area have been meeting in joint prayer gatherings—diverse in composition—to seek God for a fitting resolution of the unfortunate tragedy. I lift my voice with theirs to implore the God of creation to keep His hand upon the situation, and I ask godly people everywhere to join in this intercession.

“I further urge thoughtful people who are truly concerned for mending relations between the community and law enforcement; improving race relations; inspiring a young generation to seek the peace of the city where they live; and eradicating the hatred and hostility that exists in many places, to seek justice and systemic change using nonviolent means.”

He closed with a call for prayer for the Brown family, the Wilson family, law enforcement officials, and grand jury members.

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