Rev clementa pinckney biography channel

A church pastor and a state senator, Clementa Pinckney spoke of his politics as an extension of his religious mission, as another way of serving the people around him.

"Our calling is not just within the walls of the congregation," he said. "We are part of the life and community in which our congregation resides."

On Wednesday evening, Mr Pinckney was shot dead among those he had pledged to serve - one of nine victims of a gun attack on the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

A video of him, filmed at the church, external in 2013, reveals a man marked for pulpit and senate, with a gift for speaking intimately, almost informally, to a large crowd.

In a warm baritone, Mr Pinckney discusses his church's place in African-American history and its origins in an attempted slave insurrection in the 19th century.

The would-be insurrectionists were interrogated

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Clementa C. Pinckney

American politician and pastor (1973–2015)

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Remarks by the President in Eulogy for the Honorable Reverend Clementa Pinckney

College of Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina

2:49 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Giving all beröm and honor to God.  (Applause.)  

The Bible calls us to hope.  To persevere, and have faith in things not seen.

“They were still living by faith when they died,” Scripture tells us. “They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on Earth.”  

We are here today to remember a man of God who lived by faith.  A man who believed in things not seen.  A man who believed there were better days ahead, off in the distance.  A man of service who persevered, knowing full well he would not receive all those things he was promised, because he believed his efforts would deliver a better life for those who followed.

To Jennifer, his beloved wife; to Eliana and Malana

The Reverend Clementa C. Pinckney
In office January 2001 – June 17, 2015
Preceded by	McKinley Washington Jr.
Succeeded by	Margie Bright Matthews
In office January 1997 – January 2001
Preceded by	Juanita Mitchell White
Succeeded by	Thayer Rivers
Born	Clementa Carlos Pinckney (1973-07-30)July 30, 1973 Beaufort, South Carolina, U.S.
Died	June 17, 2015(2015-06-17) (aged 41) Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Manner of death	Assassination
Resting place	Saint James Cemetery Marion, South Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Jennifer Benjamin
Children	2
Alma mater	Allen University (BA) University of South Carolina (MPA) Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (M.Div.) Wesley Theological Seminary
Religion	Christian
Church	Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church
Post	Senior pastor (2010–2015)