Office Closed - Juneteenth

Juneteenth is the oldest celebration that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.  It is a celebration of continued societal progress and respect for all cultures and people.⁠
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The core message of freedom for all continues to live on with the annual celebration of this historic day in United States history.  It is a day of reflection, a day of renewal, a pride-filled day.  It is a moment in time taken to appreciate the African American experience. ⁠
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It is a day to build coalitions that enhance all communities.  On Juneteenth, we come together young and old to listen, to learn, and to refresh the drive to achieve.  It is a day where we all take one step closer to better utilize the energy wasted on racism. ⁠
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Juneteenth is a day that we pray for peace and Liberty for all.

Let us pray a Juneteenth Prayer adapted from Racial Healing and Liturgical Resources.

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 encounter with you and our better selves so that our lives will be changed for the good of all.⁠

Amen⁠
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