Harold Washington, 75, expects the sanctuary to host even more newcomers after one shattered the group’s sense of peace and security.
“We’re gonna have people come by that we’ve never seen before and will probably never see again, and that’s OK,” he said Saturday. “It’s a church of the Lord, you don’t turn nobody down.”
Church leaders will try to address the heavy psychological burdens parishioners bring with them.
“I think just because of what people have gone through emotions are definitely heightened, not just in Charleston but with anyone going to church because it is such a sacred place, it is such a safe place,” Shae Edros, 29, said after a multiracial group of women sang “Amazing Grace” outside the church Saturday afternoon.