Union Baptist Church hosted its 155th anniversary in unison with a Get Out the Vote Rally on Sunday, Oct. 25. The event merged spiritual fellowship and political education in the midst of election season.
Several Black churches came together to sing, dance and be in community. Many of the choirs performed musical selections that evoked praise and joy from the audience. Children’s praise dancers also took the stage, and renowned gospel artist Calesta “Callie” Day graced the stage. It was evident through the warm embraces that many enjoyed being in community.
Veronica Lewis, one of the main praise and worship leaders at Union Baptist Church, said this was one of many events where members across churches and denominations could come together. Lewis was delighted to join in praise and worship with fellow Christians while emphasizing the importance of voting.
“Voting as of right now, in this day and time, I feel is very important,” said Lewis. “Leadership is a big thing and important to us all, and I believe that once we get our vote out, that will show that we really are concerned about how the world is going and how things are affecting us in our day-to-day lives.”
Rev. Shawn Brooks, Union Baptist’s pastor of music and worship, said that in planning the celebration of the church’s anniversary, they wanted a musical celebration to commemorate the return of the choir due to their absence since COVID-19 and to encourage church members to get out and cast their votes.
Brooks said that the Black church has always been at the focal point of movements in society and that sometimes it takes the church to bring forth the message of how important voting is. The Harvard Gazette traces the Black church’s stake in Black political action back to at least the 18th century, and notably Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. becoming one of the most recognizable faces of the modern civil rights movement. In Springfield, the Black churches continue to serve as pillars for political education.
“When it comes down to voting — our pastor says from the pulpit that it’s very vital that we have our members engage in action,” said Brooks. “This mid-term election is very important; at the end of the day, we do have a civil duty, a civic duty — a responsibility. And not only to just vote, but to know who you’re voting for and know why you’re voting.”
Ahead of the rally, The Committee, a non-partisan group that consists of various Black historic and grassroots organizations, which was also a part of sponsoring GOTV, brought together several churches for Souls to the Polls, a complementary event to GOTV that stresses the importance of early voting. The event will take place again next Sunday, Nov. 1, ahead of election day.
With election season nearing its conclusion, Rev. T. Ray McJunkins, Union Baptist’s lead pastor, framed the Get Out The vote Rally as the “finale” to all the political education events that took place this election season.
