Tulsa Church's Sunday Sermon Focuses On Healing

A Tulsa church said prayer will be key to moving the community forward after the death of Terence Crutcher. 

The congregation at All Souls Unitarian Church is focused on healing.

Sunday marks the beginning of a new week, and for many, a chance to heal. 

Praying is what church member Floretta Reed said helped her work through her emotions last week. 

"I have just come to a peaceful resolve now," Reed said. "To know that my rage, I'm going to do something about that rage." 

One thing she's doing now is spending time with church members.

All Souls' first service of the day focused on Terence Crutcher and race relations in the Tulsa community.

"The unity among the races and the denominations is profound for our city," said Bishop Carlton Pearson. "I think we learned a lesson with the riots of 1921. We don't want that again." 

Pearson encouraged people not only to pray for the Crutcher family but to also think about Officer Betty Shelby when they pray. 

"I think it's part of the healing. If we're gonna be "All Souls," that's all souls," Pearson said. "And she's a soul, she has a mother and father. She may have children, we don't know. We don't know a lot about her. But she's devastated I'm sure." 

Pearson and other church leaders say as the healing continues, they want people to have healthy conversations about race. 

"We're all gonna get better, rather than bitter," Pearson said. "That's our choice and that's a decision we're making."