A STATEMENT FROM PRESIDING BISHOP J. DREW SHEARD
On the 25th Anniversary of September 11, 2001
Memphis, Tennessee Twenty-five years ago, evil sought to break our spirit. It did not succeed. What rose from the ashes of that Tuesday morning was a resolve stronger than the flames and a faith that refused to be shaken.
Today, the Church of God In Christ pauses to remember the nearly three thousand lives taken that day, and we hold their families in our prayers, knowing a quarter-century does not erase grief; it only teaches us how to carry it with grace. We remember, too, the firefighters, police officers, and everyday citizens who ran toward danger and became examples of sacrificial love. Scripture reminds us, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13, KJV).
As a nation and a Church, we are called not merely to remember, but to rebuild, letting this anniversary renew our commitment to unity, compassion, and unwavering faith in the God who makes all things new.
In honor of those we lost, the flag at our International Headquarters, the Historic Mason Temple, will be lowered to half-staff throughout this solemn day.
“The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” Psalm 34:18
We will never forget.
Bishop John Drew Sheard
Presiding Bishop and Chief Apostle
Church of God in Christ, Inc.
