New Life Church of Faith in Danville will be hosting a special “Black History Month Juneteenth Celebration;” Friday, February 23rd at 7 PM. They will be showing a documentary film called “Juneteenth: Faith and Freedom.” Pastor Nathan Lenstra and Pastor Thomas Miller recently joined Laura Williams on 1490 WDAN’s Community Connection. Pastor Lenstra says this is a free event.
AUDIO: We’re going to host it as a Black History Month event; and invite the community to come out, watch the film, learn about Juneteenth, what the holiday is all about, what its origins are; what it means for us today.
Pastor Miller explained the history and origin of Juneteenth.
AUDIO: The Emancipation Proclamation was 1863. Slaves in Texas did not receive that information until two-and-a-half years later. Juneteenth is celebrated because it was in 1865 when they were informed that they had already been free in 1863. Four-thousand African American soldiers, Union soldiers, came into Texas. They came, telling the slave owners that “You will release all of the slaves. Slavery has been abolished.”
Once again, that’s Friday, February 23rd at 7 PM. New Life Church of Faith is at 1419 North Bowman in Danville.
To hear all of Laura Williams’ interview with Pastors Nathan Lenstra and Thomas Miller, please go to https://vermilioncountyfirst.com/the-community-connection/