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Youngstown service commemorates Emancipation Proclamation
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Lillian Howell of Youngstown sings along with the congregation during the service. The annual event celebrates the 1863 signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves in America.
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
The Rev. Dr. Lewis W. Macklin II was humbled to receive a prestigious award for his leadership and service to the Mahoning Valley, but such efforts are second nature, he contends.
The moment also called attention to the importance of unity, cooperation and reconciliation as tools to strive for for the common good, he said.
“Community service is natural to me, like paying my rent,” the pastor of Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church said after Monday’s Emancipation Proclamation and Installation service.
This year’s event took place at Elizabeth Missionary Baptist Church, 1210 Himrod Ave., on the city’s East Side.
Sponsoring the service were the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Youngstown & Vicinity and the Baptist Pastors’ Council Youngstown & Vicinity.
The 2 Ω-hour service, themed “We’re Better Together!” marked the longest continuous black-community’s celebration in the Mahoning Valley and largely emphasized using collective leadership and collaboration to build community.
The gathering commemorated President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, which abolished slavery in the United States. It also included an installation and commissioning of officers representing a variety of local community and faith-based organizations.
The Rev. Dr. Macklin was the recipient of the Rev. Elizabeth Powell Heritage Award, named for the late Rev. Mrs. Powell, who founded and was pastor of World Fellowship Interdenominational Church and was an advocate for numerous human-rights and social-justice causes before her death in 2007 at age 105.
Even though black people “have gone from cleaning the master’s house to the White House,” many still face racial discrimination, voter-suppression efforts and political apathy, explained Elder Rosetta Carter of Greater Friendship Baptist Church. Several constitutional amendments have made poll taxes and other barriers illegal, but people today must remain vigilant to protect their rights, she added.
The event’s keynote speaker was the Rev. William C. Bunton, pastor of Akron-based Mount Olive/Kingdom Church Partnership.
In his speech titled “A Date with Affliction,” the Rev. Mr. Bunton discussed what he said are reasons people have to deal with afflictions in their lives, while noting that the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation is a reminder of the pain, struggles and difficulties many blacks have faced.
Nevertheless, he said, many people still try to avoid afflictions while others cause their own, in part by associating with hurtful people.
It’s healthier to view such difficulties as stepping-stones “to show you how to step over stuff instead of stepping around stuff,” he continued.
Other similar challenges are “God-appointed,” meaning that they will eventually open doors for success, Mr. Bunton explained.
“[God] sent me on a blind date with a girl named affliction,” he said to applause.
Mr. Bunton told the congregation of about 200 that people should view afflictions not as punishment or forsakenness, but as signs of the need for a change in thinking and attitude. In addition, such difficulties are often redemptive, he said.
The Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance brings ministers of all faiths together to engage citizens in the fight and struggles for the rights of all people and the betterment of Youngstown, noted the Rev. Rosalyne Mitchell Martin, pastor of Price Memorial AME Zion Church on the East Side and IMA’s president.
The service also featured remarks made by the Rev. J. Dwayne Heard, Elizabeth Missionary’s pastor; the Rev. Kenneth L. Simon, pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church; the Rev. Monica Beasley-Martin, pastor of Sheridan AME Church, East Liverpool; the Rev. Gwendolyn Johnson, pastor of Reeds Chapel AME Church, Youngstown; and the Rev. Michael Harrison, president of the Ohio Baptist State Convention.
Musical selections were from the Emancipation Community Choir.