Erskine Seminary grad leads Emanuel AME as church marks sad anniversary

One year since the shock of a mass shooting in Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church, an Erskine Theological Seminary graduate is ministering to the bereaved congregation.

Dr. Betty Deas Clark, who completed a Master of Divinity degree in 1998 and went on to earn a Doctor of Ministry degree in 2006, was appointed pastor at Emanuel in January this year. She is already in the media spotlight as the June 17 anniversary of the Emanuel shooting approaches, having traveled to Orlando to offer comfort to survivors of the mass shooting there.

Clark was recently interviewed by Stephanie Hunt for Faith & Leadership. She remembers receiving her appointment to Emanuel on a Saturday and being “on the job” the next day, speaks about her ongoing experience at Emanuel, where she “came in as a nurturer,” and recalls the determination and drive that helped propel her through seminary, where, she says, “a course that should have taken three years I did in about two and a half.”

Read the interview here.

The Emanuel AME Church Scholarship was established at Erskine Theological Seminary last year following the presentation of a $10,000 gift to Erskine Seminary by IBelieveSC.net, which sponsors a South Carolina license plate of the same name. The first scholarship recipient is Chaunté McClure.