Pharrell Williams to Sing with the Choir at the Charleston Church Where 9 Were Shot

Pop artist Pharrell Williams is set to perform with a Gospel choir this weekend at the Charleston church where nine parishioners were shot and killed. Nine people died in the June 17 shooting, for which white supremacist Dylann Roof is to stand trial.

Williams is set to practise with the choir on Saturday and attend the worship service on Sunday. Williams' appearance at the Emanuel AME church - the oldest African Methodist Episcopal Church in the US and known as Mother Emanuel - is part of a programme on race relations. He will speak with community leaders and others affected by the shooting. 

While he is not a devout Christian, Williams described his religous views best when speaking to GQ Style magazine late last year, in which he explained that he believes there are different routes to God.

"... On paper I'm a Christian but really I'm a Universalist," said Williams. "Do I think that Christianity is the only way? No. I think the only route for everything is their connection to God ... There's religious dogma that gets involved, something for the greater good and sometimes for not so great reasons ... But they give you a way, a vehicle to get to God."

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