Trinity UCC Chicago Suffers Tragic Loss
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
By Pastor Ted Weis, Congregational Church, Little River, KSTrinity UCC in Chicago-- one the United Church of Christ's largest churches-- suffered a terrible tragedy over the weekend when their long time choir director was found murdered.
Donald Young, 47, was discovered dead in his apartment when his roommate came home early Sunday morning, December 23. According to the Chicago Tribune, Young suffered multiple gun shot wounds.
So far, no suspect(s) in the case have been identified. The apartment showed no signs of forced entry. Christmas presents and some jewelry were missing from the apartment, but police have not yet settled on robbery as the motive.
For 20 years, Young directed the choir of the church pastored by Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr. and attended by presidential candidate Barack Obama.
The Tribune reports:
He was "one of those classic, incredible good news stories," Wright said. "He wasn't a gangbanger, didn't do drugs, wasn't in trouble, no police record."Young was a deacon in the church and taught fourth-fifth grade at an elementary school.
Wright said Young was supposed to conduct the choir at a service Sunday morning, but "he never got to the service." Officials at the church... were informed of Young's death during an early service at the church, and they made an announcement to the congregation at later services.
Pastors "prayed with the choir to let them know before the service," Wright said. "They had about 30-40 minutes of serious weeping and grieving before having to go into service.
"He called me Dad, and I called him my son," Wright said. "I was like his adopted dad."
A funeral service honoring Young's life takes place at Trinity on December 29.
This is a horrible tragedy that deeply affects the worship life of one of the UCC's largest churches. May God bring about justice and pour out healing on the Trinity church family.
