Holiness Tabernacle Church Of God In Christ used an innovative approach in celebrating Black History Month this year. Instead of having a single program, the Holiness Tabernacle Youth Department and Christian Education Department celebrated achievements in Black history throughout January and February.
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On January 31, the Youth Department started the festivities with a funny and informative talk show parody. One by one the Holiness Tabernacle youth came center stage, dressed as different inventors, scholars, and professionals. Some of these professionals included Charlotte E. Ray, Dr. Benjamin Carson and J. Ernest Wilkins. Asked a series of questions by the host(s), each youth gave a short description of their historical figure’s accomEdplishments. This event was great, as it tapped into youthful creativity and also highlighted some lesser known individuals.
For the official celebration, the Christian Education Department highlighted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech. The Purity class was given varying excerpts of the speech to study. On Sunday mornings a student pair presented their findings to the congregation. One student read the excerpt aloud. Then another student explained the excerpt, telling the audience what Dr. King’s words meant to him or her. Many of the students stressed the need for continued racial unity in our society today.
The Christian Education Department concluded Black History Month 2013 with a special documentary. A native of the Dominican Republic, First Lady Vivian Pruitte invited the entire congregation for an in-house viewing of Black in Latin America. The special PBS documentary gives a firsthand look into the African Diaspora in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and focuses on how the slave trade affected these islands.
Since the membership of Holiness Tabernacle is comprised of different nationalities, this event helped the audience better understand each other’s backgrounds. It also reminded the crowd that God is a creative painter who uses all colors and all people for His purposes!