Local church sets Juneteenth celebration for Sunday

Minister Andre Dunson, left, and the Rev. James C. Lowery stand at the pulpit of New Covenant Church Of God In Christ, 113 Buena Vista Road, on Thursday. - Photo by Grace Brown of The Sentinel-Record
Minister Andre Dunson, left, and the Rev. James C. Lowery stand at the pulpit of New Covenant Church Of God In Christ, 113 Buena Vista Road, on Thursday. - Photo by Grace Brown of The Sentinel-Record

For the African American community, June 19, or Juneteenth, holds special significance as a day of freedom and independence.

Restrictions on large gatherings brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic will affect how the holiday is celebrated this year, but at least one local church still plans to share the message this Sunday.

"Now, why do we celebrate Juneteenth? In 1865, all African Americans were then freed. Two years before that, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves but they were still in slavery for years because slave owners wanted to keep their slaves and never told them," said the Rev. James C. Lowery with New Covenant Church Of God In Christ.

"So that's how Juneteenth came about. ... First of all, it's our Independence Day. People call it Freedom Day, I call it Independence Day, just like the Fourth of July is Independence Day for America," he said.

New Covenant will host a special Juneteenth celebration during its Sunday worship beginning at 10:30 a.m., and the community is welcome to attend.

According to a news release from the church, Juneteenth is the oldest of all African American celebrations.

The Emancipation Proclamation, signed by President Lincoln, went into effect on Jan. 1, 1863, but it wasn't until June 19, 1865, that federal troops under the command of Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed the slaves of their freedom by reading General Order No. 3, the release said.

"By June 19, 1866, only one year later, they began large festivals and celebrations where they were celebrating the freeing of the slaves the year prior. ... There are several different types of celebrations but the most common in that particular time frame was a service of prayer," said Minister Andre Dunson.

Celebrations have included parades, picnics, dancing, sporting events, music, plays, recounting of stories by former slaves, inspirational speeches, reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, and prayer services. Juneteenth is an official holiday on the third Saturday of June in the state of Arkansas, the release said.

"I see it more so as a message of equality. Me personally, I feel like knowing and acknowledging history, especially the events that led up to the freeing of the slaves, is knowing your background so that you can successfully transition into your future. If you don't know what you come from you really don't know what you consist of. So knowledge is power. Wisdom is essential for a good way of life, for stability in your life," Dunson said.

"We all, I feel, have been created with the purpose. We have all endured our hardships in all races and all nationalities, and we have all been set free, so to speak. ... We all should value our history and that's why, celebrating Juneteenth, I feel that it's very important to know what you evolved from to be where you are now," he said.

"We couldn't do Juneteenth like we wanted to this year because of the pandemic and nobody was doing anything. So I went to the pastor of the church, Jeff Baker," Lowery said.

"We're not going to be able to do it on a large scale this year because of social distancing but we still wanted to let people know about Juneteenth so it doesn't die again."

On Sunday, Lowery will give a history on Juneteenth, while Dunson will lead a worship service as the church's music director, and Baker will deliver a message. Church officials also say they are prepared for social distancing.

"We can house about 40 people and still maintain 6 feet of distance between them. Masks are being worn, sanitizer and stations are present, and the churches sanitized before, sometimes during, and definitely after, the service," Dunson said.

The church will also Livestream the service on the New Covenant Church of God and Christ's Facebook page, Spiritual Empowerment Ministries on Facebook, and the African American Alliance on Facebook.

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