Living Waters Ministries Monthly Quote
“Ours is not the struggle of one day, one week or one year. Ours is not the struggle of one judicial appointment or presidential term. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part.”
John Lewis
Inspiration
Never Forget~Remember Your Roots
By: Jennifer L Smalls
On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Texas more than 155 years ago to inform slaves that slavery had been abolished. This day we now celebrate as Juneteenth, we celebrate the freedom of African Americans from slavery in the United States. Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. This year's celebration Theme is "Remember Your Roots". As we celebrate our freedom, and all that we have accomplished we must not forget from whence we came. Our story from slavery to freedom is amongst the greatest of comeback stories. We are a resilient people and we continue to be resilient through inequalities in education, housing, the workforce, police brutality, book banning, and all things unequal. We continue to struggle, yet we continue to fight, we continue to be resilient.
"And Moses said to the people: "Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by the strength of hand the Lord brought you out of this place..." (Exodus 13:3). God commands us to observe the day he delivered us from bondage. Therefore, it is commanded that we must never abandon nor forget our roots; from whence we came. Just as roots are the anchor for plants and provide nutrients for proper growth, so are our roots our anchor, they provide us with knowledge and give us directions. Our roots are the source of strength, courage, and wisdom.
Without the knowledge of our origins, how we arrived in this country, what we've had to endure, and our courage to fight we wouldn't have the courage to fight the inequalities, police brutalities, and injustices we face today. It is our roots that give us the strength to endure and continue the fight.
Our roots provide us with the resources and power to grow into all that God created and made us to be. We are more than conquerors, not only are we capable of achieving victory, we are overwhelmingly victorious!
#junteenth23 #celebrateJuneteenth #freeish #freesince1865 #ourroots #knowledgeispower #representationmatters
News from Living Waters Ministries
Happenings Around St. Augustine
First Friday Art Walk, June 2nd downtown St. Augustine 5-9 p.m. First Friday Art Walk takes place on the first Friday of every month, exhibiting creative artworks throughout St. Augustine's fine art galleries.
First Friday Art Walk Concert Series, June 2nd. First Friday of each month, 6-8 p.m. This organ recital at the Cathedral Basilica in downtown St. Augustine is free and open to the public on the first Friday of every month.
Courageous Women of Mose, June 3rd - 4th, 2:30 PM. Part theatrical production, part art exhibition, part book signing, “The Courageous Women of Mose” event will be hosted at the St. Augustine Waterworks, 184 San Marco Avenue
St Paul AME Church 150th Anniversary. On Saturday, June 10, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in St. Paul Park, the church will host a community festival with events for all ages. Games, food, fun, and fellowship celebrate the congregation's eventful, first 150 years.
On Sunday, June 11, the church invites the public to its 150th Anniversary Worship Celebration at 10:45 a.m. The service will be followed that afternoon, with a Community Celebration at 3:00 p.m. Events on Sunday take place inside the historic St. Paul AME Church. 85 ML King Avenue
Juneteenth At LMCC: Civil Rights And Soul Lecture Screening, June 15 from 4:00 PM. to 9:00 p.m., the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center invites members of the public to view a screening of John Capouya’s lecture “Respect: Soul Music and the Civil Rights Movement.” Author of Florida Soul, Capouya was a journalism professor at the University of Tampa and has long studied the history of Florida. During this event, visitors get the opportunity to view a recording of his lecture, which discusses how musicians in the 1960s and 1970s assisted the activists of the Civil Rights Movement.
This is an in-person and digitally attended event. It is a screening of the author giving his lecture. John Capouya will not be present.
This is a free event. To pre-register for this event, click here.
The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center, 102 M. L. King Avenue
Juneteenth At LMCC: Marcus Click Performance, June 15th, 7:00 PM. Marcus Click, a talented saxophonist, is an artist you do not want to miss! Inspired by jazz greats such as Kirk Whalum, Grover Washington, Jr. and George Howard, Marcus Click was named the Artist Music Guild’s Instrumentalist of the Year in 2019. He’s produced hits like “Brand New Day'' and “Together We Stand,” the latter of which charted in the Top 50 on SmoothJazz.com and is currently spinning on Sirius XM Radio’s Watercolors and the Music Choice Network. To learn more about Marcus Click, visit our artist page.
Juneteenth At LMCC: The Mahoganee Xperience June 16, 7:00 PM. Mahoganee's soft and soulful voice tells stories of acceptance, pride, love, strength, and heritage. With a strong fanbase and touring from coast to coast to perform for thousands in festivals and events, Mahoganee is a force in the music industry.
Tickets cost $25.00, plus a $2.72 fee. To purchase tickets for this event, click here.
The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center, 102 M. L. King Avenue
Juneteenth At LMCC: Don Flemons Live at the Waterworks, 7:00 PM. Dr. Dom Flemons is a musician based in the Chicago area and he is famously known as The American Songster® since his repertoire covers over one hundred years of American roots music. Flemons is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music scholar, actor, slam poet, record collector, and the creator, host, and producer of the American Songster Radio Show on 650 AM WSM in Nashville, TN. He is considered an expert player on the banjo, guitar, harmonica, jug, percussion, quills, fife, and rhythm bones.
Dom Flemons will be performing at the Waterworks on 184 San Marco Street. Tickets are available via Eventbrite. Onsite parking is available.
To learn more about Dom Flemons, visit our artist page.
Juneteenth At LMCC: Heritage Luncheon Featuring Longineu Parsons, June 18th, 11:30 AM. Enjoy an afternoon of enchanting music for your soul and food for your body at our second annual Juneteenth Heritage Luncheon. Master musician, composer, and trumpeter, Parsons has played with jazz greats such as Cannonball Adderly. He has performed this tribute to Louis Armstrong on stage at Carnegie Hall and performed for royalty around the world. He brings his unique talent back to Lincolnville where he has deep familial roots. This program will include a tribute to Dr. Dorothy Israel, who is among the Living Legends of St. Augustine.
The Heritage luncheon will be held at the LMCC at 102 Martin Luther King Ave. at 11:30 am. Doors will open at 11:00 am. Lunch is catered by Heart and SoulFood. Tickets are available for $55 via Eventbrite. Onsite parking
Lincolnville Juneteenth Community Festival, June 19th, 11:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M. "Discover Your Roots" ML King Avenue, St Augustine, FL
SAMF Celebrates Juneteeth at the Cathedral Basilica, June 19th, 7:30 PM. Vocalist Ann Marie McPhail performs at the St. Augustine Music Festival's celebration of the anniversary of Juneteenth.
Ann Marie McPhail, doctoral candidate in Voice Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi, has performed for stage and screen and is a past winner of a number of prestigious vocal competitions. She has sung with the Atlanta Opera, the Macon Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Chamber Players, and the San Francisco Opera.
She is as equally adept at singing classical music as she is in presenting her interpretations of the negro spiritual.
The Juneteenth programs by the St. Augustine Music Festival are sponsored by the Ritz Chamber Players.
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, 38 Cathedral Place
News For Us By Us
Don't Visit Florida, The NAACP has issued a formal travel advisor for the home of the "happiest place on earth." Amid an ongoing feud with Disney, migrant workers fleeing the state due to Florida's new immigration laws, and book bannings, travelers are being warned to avoid the State of Florida. The NAACP states that Florida's Governor, Ron DeSantis is aggressively attempting to erase Black history and restrict Diversity, equity, and inclusion programs from Florida schools and businesses.
"Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals," the advisory says. "Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color." (Palm Beach Post)
The League of United Late American Citizens and LGBTQ advocacy group, Equality Florida previously issued travel warnings advising tourists not to visit the state. While Florida continues to see increased numbers of visitors, both domestic and international theses advisories could seriously damage Florida's tourism cash cow.
Meanwhile, Desantis announced his candidacy for President of the United States, this week via Twitter with the infamous Elon Musk.
The poem Amanda Gorman read at President Biden's inauguration is now banned in elementary classes at a school in the Miami area after one parent complained it had indirect hate messages, and that its purpose was to cause confusion and indoctrinate students. Although by her own admission, she is not an expert nor is she a reader or book person. She admits to having read only a part of the poem. Other books the parent objected to are The ABCs of Black History, Cuban Kids, Countries in the News: Cuba, and Love to Langston. The material was reviewed by a committee comprised of staff members at the school, it was determined that Countries in the News: Cuba was "balanced and age-appropriate and would remain on the library shelves. However, the others were deemed '"more appropriate" for middle school-aged children and would be placed in the middle school section so the School's Library
Rep. Cori Bush introduced a resolution on May 17, 2023urging the federal government to compensate descendants of enslaved Africans and persons of African descent.
During a press conference on Capitol Hill alongside several other House Democrats, including Rep. Barbara Lee (Calif.), Rep. Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.), and Rep. Rashid Tlaib (Mich.), Bush said that the bill will support previously proposed reparations legislation and as well as efforts at the state and local levels.
“The United States has a moral and legal obligation to provide reparations for the enslavement of Africans and its lasting harm on the lives of millions of Black people in the United States,” according to a draft of the resolution shared with The Washington Post.
Additionally, it calls for $14 trillion in reparations for Black Americans to bridge the racial wealth gap, which advocates of reparations say is a direct consequence of racist government policies.
“Black people in our country cannot wait any longer for our government to begin addressing each and every one of the extraordinary bits of harm it has caused since its founding, that it continues to perpetuate each and every day all across our communities all across this country,” Bush said during the press conference. She went on to say that slavery and discrimination are not “minor or insignificant” aspects of American history.
“Our country was not founded on the principle that all people are created equal. It was founded at the expense of the lives, freedoms, and well-being of Black people, African folks who they stole, whose enslavement, exploitation and dehumanization were written into the Constitution,” Rep. Bush said.
Reparations advocates often point to Jim Crow laws, discriminatory housing laws, and disparities in the justice system as examples of the discrimination that persisted after the Emancipation Proclamation.
The discussion around reparations is nothing new. It’s something that has been advocated for since the end of slavery.
In 2021, Evanston, Ill., became the first U.S. city to create a reparations plan for Black residents. Then in 2022, Harvard University established a $100 million fund for descendants of enslaved people.
Bush’s Reparations Now resolution comes after California’s Reparations Task Force endorsed a series of proposals this month to pay up to $1.2 million to each descendant of enslaved people living in the state.
WELLNESS
In honor of Father's Day, as we celebrate the men in our lives we take a minute to discuss their care or the lack thereof. According to research conducted by the AARP African American men feel good about their health, but preventive care is lacking. In a recent survey of Black men in the U.S. over the age of 50 reported that they feel good about their health. However, they could experience even better health with more preventive care and better lifestyle choices. the lack of access and awareness hinders progress.
1200 Black men were surveyed in reference to their physical and mental health, experiences with health care providers, and views on disease prevention. "Three-quarters (76%) of respondents gave a good, very good, or excellent assessment of their physical health; 83% gave the same positive marks for their emotional health, and 84% gave the same marks for their mental health."
But still, there were some disconnects. "The survey found 80% of Black men 50-plus are aware that eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight lowers their risk for serious health conditions and most believe they are eating well. Yet, 42% acknowledge being overweight, just 24% meet the weekly recommendations for exercise, and only 23% report getting enough sleep.'
It's with age comes wisdom, and this is true when it comes to a healthy mind and body. Men over 50 appear to be more aware of the importance of diet, exercise, and controlling stress. the same holds true for drinking and smoking. Routine check-ups were also found to be more common with older men. Thus preventative care measures fall short which often leads to missed diagnoses and missed opportunities for proactive measures.
The top health concerns for respondents over 50 were high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis, and diabetes. The leading causes of death among Black men are heart disease and cancer, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Let's encourage the men in our lives to be vigilant when it comes to their physical and mental health, and remind them to get their routine check-ups; Men older than 50 should have a yearly physical exam, and men younger than 50 should have a physical exam every three to five years. Even if you're feeling healthy, a regular checkup with your healthcare team is a good way to validate your health or identify a problem in its early stages.
Reflections
In May we celebrated and appreciated our mothers and mothers-to-be. As we continued into our sermon series "Amazing Comebacks" we heard some awesome testimonies and comeback stories. We also got into "Pride in the Westside". And we welcomed a new edition to the Living Waters Ministries, welcome Baby girl Brown and congrats to her parents Katrell & Taylor
A Glance at May in Living Waters
A Father's Day Tribute
He Is...Father
...He is
the shine in a little girl's eyes
the icon of a son in the mirror
a husband to his woman
a provider & a leader
the endearing traits of a real man
personified in how He lives
...He is
the strength of the family unit
the shelter in a raging storm
a patriarch to the ancestral tree
his seed produces legacies
to carry on his dynasty
...He is
stability in the midst of adversity
He rules with a gentle hand
teaches his daughter how to be loved
to accept nothing less than a true man
He instills pride in his son
to be the best Man that He can be
Once a year is not enough
to give credit where it is due
...He is
a monumental influence
to the innocence of youth
a consonant pillar of masculinity
without a heavy hand as proof
if you had to measure A Man
in all He say or do
it is in the path He chooses to follow
it is the fruits of his wealthy spirit
that makes him so unique
it is He...
a Father
The qualities of a hero UnSung
three hundred sixty-four days of the year
On this special day
I salute you
Living Water Ministries Upcoming Events
June 7, 14, & 21: Summer Reading "Battlefield of the Mind" by Joyce Meyers, Location TBD
June 17: Father/Son Fishing & Chat by The Sea 9:00 A.M. - 12 Noon, A1A Beach
June 18: Honoring Fathers, women will feed men
June 26 - 29: VBS 6:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. Nightly
June 30: Youth Field Trip
This Summer join Living Waters Ministries reading:
Battlefield of the Mind, Joyce Meyer
Worry, doubt, confusion, depression, anger, and feelings of condemnation: all are attacks on the mind. If readers suffer from negative thoughts, they can take heart! Joyce Meyer has helped millions win these all-important battles. In her most popular bestseller ever, the beloved author and minister show readers how to transform their lives by changing their minds.
Readers will learn to deal with thousands of thoughts they may think every day and how to focus the mind the way God thinks. She shares personal stories, biblical truth, and encouragement to help readers think with purpose, win the battles of their minds, and begin a joy-filled life.
St. Augustine Monthly Weather
Comentários