“The Sacrifice of Freedom” was the theme of the Black HistoryMonth program sponsored by four black churches in Port Lavaca onSunday and held at the Temple of Faith Church.
Bishop David Sanders Sr., and Co-Pastor Judy Sanders, both ofTemple of Faith Church, welcomed the guests as a choir sang, “OhCome Let Us Adore Him.” The guests then sang “Lift Every Voice andSing,” which is sometimes referred to as the “Black NationalAnthem.”
Bishop Sanders prefaced the four presentations for the eveningwith a short talk about the hidden meanings behind certain hymns,like “It’s a High Way to Heaven” and “Swing Low Sweet Chariot,”whose lyrics were used as code for slaves who were risking theirlives for freedom using the Underground Railroad.
This was a network of secret routes and lodgings the slaves usedto escape to free states and Canada, and others to Mexico, with theaid of allies and abolitionists.
As moderator, Pastor Judy Sanders took to the pulpit and gavehomage to black ancestors.
“You have to appreciate where you come from before you canappreciate where you are,” and in the spirit of unity with thewhite guests present, she said, “We need one another.”
The Rev. Raymond Leonard, pastor of Pilgrim Christian Church ofPort Lavaca, gave a presentation entitled, “Slavery – How It CameAbout.”
The Rev. Leonard began his talk with verses from Isaiah 43:7,”Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for myglory. It was I who created them,” and Isaiah 54:17, “No weaponturned against you will succeed. You will silence every voiceraised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servantsof the Lord; Their vindication will come from me.”
“The number one reason slavery started was because of man’sdisobedience to God, when he took a man who was made for the gloryof God and made him a slave,” Leonard said.
The “weapons” used against the slaves were commerce and thedemands for agricultural products like sugar cane and cotton, hesaid.
“The number two reason for slavery was greed,” Leonard said.”Black people were treated as less than human, as animals, withfamilies split apart.”
After the American blacks were freed from slavery, times werestill difficult for them because of racism, Leonard said. He saidimmigrants within the United States are suffering from racism,too.
“Children of immigrants born in the United States are citizens,but their parents are not. The same criticism they receive is thesame kind we went through,” Leonard said.
He recalled a story from the Bible when God reminded theIsraelites of how they were once enslaved and how they should notenslave another people.
“God was telling them, ‘I don’t want you to treat others likeyou were treated.’ He tells us not to be like the people whoenslaved us,” Leonard said. “We are a noble and elegant people. Wehave a past, a present and a future. We have a history. We knowwhere we are going in Christ. We have a future in Christ. We needto exercise all three because our purpose in this life is notover.”
The Rev. James Fowler, pastor of Mt. Sinai Baptist Church inPort Lavaca, delivered a presentation entitled, “Freedom – What ItMeans to Us as Black People.”
“Freedom is not a gift of man, but a gift of God. Freedom is notworth having unless all of us are free,” the Rev. Fowler said.
Fowler said freedom will not be found in religion orpolitics.
“Religion makes you righteous and politics makes you a crook,”he said to the amusement of those in attendance. “God neverintended man to be too religious or too political. But in thisworld, it is hard to live without either one, but you can stand inChrist, in his liberty.”
Fowler mentioned that freedom can be found in Christ asmentioned in Galatians, chapter 5, but personal freedoms, if notrespected, appreciated and used wisely, can make a person a slaveto bad choices.
“Freedom can mess you up because most people feel freedom is aliberty to do what you want to do. Most people have not learned howto make right decisions,” he said. “You come to church to learn howto live because we did not come into this world knowing how totreat people.”
The Rev. Isaiah Thomas, pastor of St. Joseph Baptist Church inPort Lavaca, gave a presentation entitled, “The Jim Crow Law – Whatis it?,” and Bishop Sanders gave a presentation entitled, “VoterRights – How Important Is It?”
The program closed with remarks made by Earlene Hamilton,program chairman, and was followed by a meal and benediction.
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