150th Juneteenth celebration will unite community
150th Juneteenth celebration will unite community
150th Juneteenth celebration will unite community
“It Worked for Us” is written by Christine Kumar, freelance writer and administrator, Baltimore Metropolitan District, Baltimore-Washington Conference. Send story ideas to interpreter@umcom.org. Find more “It Worked for Us” at Interpreter OnLine, www.interpretermagazine.org.
Every corner of the nine-acre campus of Goodsell United Methodist Church in Lanett, Alabama, is expected to fill with more than 10,000 people from various backgrounds and cultures for the 150th-anniversary celebration of Juneteenth on Saturday, June 13, 2015.
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas, with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This was two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation declaring, “All persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free.”
“The fundamental objective is to celebrate achievements, encourage education and promote the values of freedom,” said Trude Johnson, Goodsell member and Juneteenth coordinator. The celebration for African Americans “is the same as Passover for the Jewish people,” added the Rev. Randy Kelley, Goodsell pastor.
Kelley said preparations for this ongoing event began a year ago with an interethnic planning committee representing various churches and civic organizations. Among the collaborators is First United Methodist Church, Lanett.
The program includes poster contests for elementary schoolchildren and an essay competition for older students. Winners receive cash awards. Storytellers share their stories in a replica slave cabin. A youth summit draws teens and young adults, and the Goodsell church hosts an Emancipation Proclamation worship service on Sunday.
The community festival convenes on the church’s parking lot. Juneteenth participants can buy food and crafts, talk with college recruiters, play games and get their faces painted, get medical information at a health fair, see a car and motorcycle show and enjoy train rides for children.
On four Friday evenings before the event, the church hosts Summer Sounds family concerts at West Park. The church also has a gospel festival featuring church choirs and artists from Alabama and Georgia.
Goodsell believes the Juneteenth and outreach programs attract and unite the community. The church is located between a Piggly Wiggly supermarket and public housing.
AT A GLANCE
Goodsell United Methodist Church
1009 N. 6th Ave., Lanett, AL 36863
334-644-3950
www.goodsellumc.com
rankelley@yahoo.com
Rev. Randy B. Kelley
Average Attendance: 80
North Alabama Conference