06/19/2026
The core of our faith is Jesus preaching good news and bringing about freedom for those in captivity. Followers of Jesus in every age are likewise invited to share this good news and be committed to the struggle to see the world made right, with justice and wholeness for all.
So on this Juneteenth, we are celebrating with our Black sisters and brothers the end of slavery. June 19 marks the anniversary of the day in 1865 when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and his troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced to the enslaved people there that they had been freed. Much has been accomplished since then and yet there’s so much work still to do. We commit ourselves to honoring and empowering the Black community and their struggle to create a Beloved Community for all.
Pray with us this Juneteenth:
We pray, O Lord, for change.
Jesus you revealed God through your wise words and loving deeds, and we encounter you still today in the faces of those whom society has pushed to the margins. Guide us, through the love you revealed, to establish the justice you proclaimed, that all peoples might dwell in harmony and peace, united by that one love that binds us to each other, and to you. And most of all, Lord, change our routine worship and work into genuine encounters with you and our better selves so that our lives will be changed for the good of all.
