The instant her phone rang, Reverend Sharon Risher sensed something was horribly wrong. Something had happened at Emanuel AME Church, the church of her youth in Charleston, South Carolina, and she knew her mother was likely in the church at Bible study. Even before she heard the news, her chaplain's instinct told her the awful truth: her mother was dead, along with two cousins. What she couldn't imagine was that they had been murdered by a white supremacist. Plunged into the depths of mourning and anger and shock, Sharon could have wallowed in the pain. Instead, she chose the path of forgiveness and hope - eventually forgiving the convicted killer for his crime. In this powerful memoir of faith, family, and loss, Sharon begins the story with her mother, Ethel Lee Lance, seeking refuge in the church from poverty and scorn and raising her family despite unfathomable violence that rattled Sharon to her core years later; how Sharon overcame her own struggles and answered the call to ministry; and how, in the loss of her dear mother, Sharon has become a nationally known speaker as she shares her raw, riveting, story of losing loved ones to gun violence and racism. Sharon's story is a story of transformation: How an anonymous hospital chaplain was thrust into the national spotlight, joining survivors of other gun-related horrors as reluctant speakers for a heartbroken social-justice movement. As she recounts her grief and the struggle to forgive the killer, Risher learns to trust God's timing and lean on God's loving presence to guide her steps. Where her faith journey leads her is surprising and inspiring, as she finds a renewed purpose to her life in the company of other survivors. Risher has been interviewed by Time Magazine, Marie-Claire, Essence, Guardian-BCC Radio, CNN, and other media sources. She regularly shares her story on American college campuses and racial-reconciliation events. "To Forgive a Killer," her essay as told to Abigail Pesta published in Notre Dame Magazine, won the 2018 Front Page Award for Essay published in a Magazine, awarded by the Newswomen's Club of New York. Rev. Sharon Risher is not one to be timid in the face of injustice, suffering or controversy. Out of the anguish of her own unspeakable loss after her mother and cousins were gunned down in a church basement by an unapologetic white supremacist, Sharon takes us on the journey no one wants to go on. Her training as a minister and chaplain helps us understand the complex emotions that tormented her in the aftermath of such personal tragedy. In this can t-put-it-down page-turner, the author doesn't mince words in conveying what it means to work through such pain, anger, isolation, and fear, yet, in the end, she generously shares the hopeful lessons she learned so we can vicariously benefit from them. It takes extraordinary bravery to do what Sharon Risher has done by so candidly sharing her story and we should all be grateful to God and to her for it! This book is a gift to humankind. --Rob Schenck, author of Costly Grace: An Evangelical Minister s Rediscovery of Faith, Hope, and Love and subject of Abigail Disney s Emmy Award-winning documentary, The Armor of Light For Such a Time as This is a beautiful, but bittersweet memoir of a woman of God facing the loss of her beloved family by gun violence. Rev. Risher is truly one that has been called to rise in faith as a conduit for love, acceptance, and forgiveness. Her story will forever stand as truth and compassion in America s shameful culture of hate and discrimination played out through gun violence. --Rep. Lucy McBath, member of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia's 6th congressional district, and author of Standing Our Ground: The Triumph of Faith Over Gun Violence: A Mother's Story When you read Reverend Sharon Risher's phenomenal life story, you will want to hug her, cry with her, laugh with her. She sweeps you up with her unstoppable spirit. Faith keeps her resilient in the face of tragedy, the unthinkable murder of her mother at a prayer meeting in church. She inspires you to overcome colossal hurdles and face life with gusto and humor...and forgiveness. --Abigail Pesta, award-winning journalist, author of The Girls , coauthor of How Dare the Sun Rise Rev. Sharon Washington Risher was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. She heard the call to ministry in 2002 and left North Carolina to attend Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, where she earned her Masters of Divinity degree. Sharon served as Staff Chaplain and Trauma Specialist at Parkland Hospital and as Associate Pastor for Congregational Care at Rice Chapel AME Church in Dallas, TX. On June 17th, 2015, a horrific tragedy happened: Sharon's dear mother, Mrs. Ethel Lee Lance, was killed in Charleston at the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, along with two cousins, a childhood friend, and the others murdered in that massacre. Since that time, Sharon has been an