CELEBRATING DIGNITY & FREEDOM

Juneteenth Celebration

We won’t have a church-wide celebration this year for Juneteenth, but it will be back next year! We will have a booth in the lobby to help everyone learn more about Juneteenth. We also have a Juneteenth Celebration Guide to help you find area events you can join and/or get some tips on celebrating Juneteenth in your neighborhood or with your family or small group. Check out this month’s 50 for 50 video and podcast about Juneteenth!

On June 29, the Agape Faith Family Festival will be at Shelby Farms, and we would love to see you there. We have sponsored a tent, so come stop by. Read more about this event and volunteer here: https://agapemeanslove.org/happenings/faith-family-festival/

Juneteenth Tips

• Attend a community event

  • June 14-15 Memphis Juneteenth Festival @ the Health Sciences Park from 10am-10pm

  • June 15th Freedom Run + Walk @ Health Sciences Park | Start Time of Race: 8am

  • June 19th Juneteenth Community Day @ National Civil Rights Museum from 9am-6pm

•  Visit the National Civil Rights Museum or Stax Museum

•  Engage in online or self-study experiences about Juneteenth. Refer to our suggested list of online resources at the bottom of this page, including a list of suggested children's books. 

• Patron a black owned restaurant. Go to the bottom of this page for recommendations.

Voices From Our Church Family

We asked a few of our church members how celebrating Juneteenth could be a blessing to our church. Their responses were so great we wanted to share those with you. Click the button next to each person to read their response in their own words.

What is Juneteenth?

• Juneteenth (also known as Emancipation Day) celebrates the date African American slaves who had been freed through The Emancipation Proclamation, but had not yet been told about their freedom, were informed that they were no longer slaves.

Juneteenth Origins:

• The Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863. The proclamation from President Abraham Lincoln declared that “all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free”. In other words, The Emancipation Proclamation freed the estimated 3,000 slaves in southern states.

• However, two-and-a-half years passed from the issuing of The Emancipation Proclamation until Union soldiers, led by Major Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas. On June 19, 1865, enslaved African Americans in Galveston were informed of their emancipation and that slavery had been abolished in Texas. This is generally regarded as the last place in the South to receive news of emancipation.

• On June 19, 1866, the first “Juneteenth” celebration occurred in Texas on the one-year anniversary of having received the news about freedom. The term “Juneteenth” came about from combining the words “June” and “nineteenth”.

• It is worthy of noting that The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in southern states only. Slavery was officially abolished everywhere throughout the United States with the ratifying of the 13th Amendment on December 6th, 1885.

Celebrating Juneteenth:

• Juneteenth has long been a day for African Americans to celebrate freedoms, culture and heritage with food, music and story-telling.

• June 19th became an official state holiday to observe Juneteenth in Texas in 1980. Since then, 47 of the 50 states recognize Juneteenth as a holiday or an observance day.

Juneteenth & Sycamore View:

• We believe all people are created in the image of God and that Jesus came to proclaim freedom for the captives and the oppressed (Luke 4:18). Dignity (Imago Dei) and freedom are at the core of the gospel. Since dignity and freedom are major values of Juneteenth, we proudly join the celebration both by acknowledging the significance of this day historically and being a part of the ongoing conversation of reconciliation.

How is Sycamore view church celebrating Juneteenth?

• In 2020, our Shepherds voted to observe June 19th as a holiday and close the church office in observance of Juneteenth. As a result, our offices will be closed Wednesday, June 19, 2024.

• We will display a banner on Sycamore View Road celebrating Juneteenth.

• We have created this webpage to help our own church family as well as guests to learn more about the history and importance of Juneteenth.

• We will have a table set up in the lobby to learn more about Juneteenth.

• We will provide a Juneteenth Celebration guide to all members.

• We have sponsored a tent at the Agape Faith Family Festival, so come stop by on June 29.

Additional Information & Resources:

Juneteenth History:

• Encyclopedia Britannica Juneteenth History Article

• PBS Juneteenth History Article

• Juneteenth: Faith and Freedom

• National Museum of African American History and Culture

Juneteenth & Christian Community

• https://somajc.org/juneteenth/

  • “If anyone understands this concept of freedom in America, it should be the Christian.”

• https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/life-and-relationships/hardships/how-juneteenth-helps-you-see-god.html

  • “Celebrating Juneteenth helps us better see the image of God in others”

• https://uwepray.com/articles/united-we-pray-juneteenth

  • “Juneteenth is a foretaste of the day when every captive will be set free . . .”

• https://www.todayschristianwoman.com/articles/2015/june/freedom-is-cause-to-celebrate-juneteenth.html

  • “Juneteenth is for all who want be a part of an ongoing celebration of healing”

• https://calvarychapel.com/posts/why-juneteenth-is-important-for-all-christians

  • “To see the end of the oppression of any people group should resonate with all who understand their own deliverance by Jesus from the serpent, sin, and death

Black-owned Restaurants in Memphis

• DOWNTOWN

  • Sage​​​​ 94 S. Main St. Memphis, TN 38103

  • SugaShack​​​ 392 Beale St. Memphis, TN 38103

  • Curry N’ Jerk​​​ 126 Monroe Ave Memphis, TN 38103

  • Slim & Husky’s Pizza Beeria​ 634 Union Ave Memphis TN 38103

• MIDTOWN

  • Evelyn & Olive​​​ 630 Madison Ave Memphis, TN 38103

  • Mahogany Memphis​​ 3092 Poplar Ave Ste 11 Memphis, TN 38111

  • Arnold’s Bar-B-Q & Grill​​ 337 Madison Ave Ste 2 Memphis, TN 38103

Children’s Books

• What is Juneteenth?

• Juneteenth for Mazie

• Juneteenth: Our Day of Freedom

• Opal Lee and What it Means to be Free

• Juneteenth: A Picture Book for Kids Celebrating Black Joy

• The Juneteenth Story: Celebrating the End of Slavery in the United States

• Clap Your Hands-Celebration of Gospel

• Who Are Your People?

• The ABCs of Black History

• Free at Last

• All Different Now

• Let’s Celebrate Juneteenth

• The History of Juneteenth: A History Book for New Readers

• Things Kids Should Know About Juneteenth

• Juneteenth Is

• Juneteenth-A Children’s Story

• Juneteenth (Beautiful Me)

• The ABCs of Juneteenth