Revival, unity, prayer, hope fill Selma as communities honor teen deaths

The Selma-Dallas County community put to rest two teens this week whose passing has prompted discussions about prevention, safety and unity across not only this community but the state and the nation. 

Au’Terrious Walter, 16, was celebrated during his funeral on Saturday as a promising sophomore at Selma High who died too young after a shooting on Aug. 21. His death led to community meetings with the police chief, school officials and the district attorney talking about ways to curb the city’s increase in teen gun use and fighting. 

Caden Tellier, 16, was honored at his funeral set for Wednesday and burial following a procession downtown. He passed away after sustaining a brain injury in a Morgan Academy football game on Aug. 23. News of his death has spread across the country, prompting discussion about head injuries and safety in the contact sport. 

The teens were honored last week in many different ways, including through a revival at Tellier’s church, Christ the King, on Aug. 28 and a “Time of Unity & Reflection” event hosted by Selma-Dallas County pastors at Selma High on Aug. 29. 

Walter’s family attended the unity event for Au’Terrious in the gym at Selma High where several hundred Selma High students filled the stands along with about 50 Morgan Academy students who joined to honor both teens. 

The “Time of Unity & Reflection” event was meant to bring teens together and provide an opportunity for them to speak to one of the dozen local pastors in attendance if they needed counseling. 

Gospel Tabernacle Pastor John Grayson led the service and encouraged the teens to shake hands with people they did not know. As Selma High School students stood up, a fight broke out among some Selma High students.Selma School System resource officers and Selma Police officers ended the fight quickly. 

Grayson said neither of the teens who died would want the city to remain in silos and would want the city to work together better. 

Selma Mayor James Perkins Jr. addressed the students, saying grief shows itself in lots of ways, including anger. He offered prayers for the young man who started the fight to find healing. 

“There’s no right or wrong way to grieve … But we have to be able to control ourselves,” Perkins said. “Retaliation is not the way.” 

District Judge Vernetta Perkins spent time with members of the Walter family in attendance, holding hands with them in a circle. She didn’t see the fight as a deterrent for what leaders wanted to accomplish. 

“Breakdowns lead to breakthroughs,” she said. “We planted seeds today.” 

Caden Tellier’s youth pastor Roxanne Jones told the crowd at Selma High that he told her during youth group just days before he died that he wanted to see a revival in Selma, to introduce more people to the love of Jesus. The Wednesday night after he passed away – one week after saying he wanted a revival - Caden Tellier got his wish. 

More than 600 people packed the sanctuary of his church, Christ the King on Highland Avenue in Selma, on Aug. 28 to worship together. Dozens of kids packed the stage and jumped to the beat of the live band’s Christian rock songs. Football players from teams across the Black Belt lined the pews. Parents raised their hands to the sky while singing along. 

A revival is more than just a one-time event, Jones said. It is a movement that expands the worship of Jesus among many and lasts over a lifetime. 

Caden’s family attended the service but didn’t speak. Jones said they wanted to worship with their friends and community. 

The event ended the way Caden would have wanted: with prayer leaders inviting the crowd to find a place of worship to continue their discovery of Jesus.