Union: a Call to Fervent Prayer
A CALL TO FERVENT PRAYER
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, According to the power at work with us, to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen
Ephesians 3:20-21
Some, or most of you, have heard about the blessing we have been given in having the UNION musical come to Winston-Salem at the Steven Center Friday, February 8th, 2019. On Saturday morning there will also be a time to gather for worship and discussion at the Union Baptist Church.
We are looking for people who feel called to support this week-end in prayer. We are praying and seeking God’s favor; asking Him for success in this venture to bring forth an awakening and a revelation to the city during Black History Month.
We are asking you and your congregation(s) to stand united with us and join us in prayer for this musical and Saturday morning follow-up to transform the city. Pray that the weather will be mild; pray that there will be no negative interference; and that all involved will stay healthy in body and mind. Pray that the Will of God goes ahead of, and prevails during Friday night and Saturday morning. Pray that we, as a group, and everyone involved, will be surrounded with divine protection.
We expect something great to occur here that will continue to affect us all throughout the year and in the years to come. We thank you for all the prayers that you will send forward to strengthen out stand.
Be blessed!
Union: A Musical
The Union cast at dress rehearsal
PROJECT INTRODUCTION
In the spring of 1968, the sanitation workers of Memphis, Tennessee went on strike. This strike, occasioned both by the tragic deaths of two of their fellow workers, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, and the desperate need for humane working conditions, began merely as a local matter. And yet, in ways that few could have foreseen, it became a defining moment in the ongoing American struggle toward a more perfect union.
In one respect, this transformation came about because of the presence of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the strike. It was there that he hoped to begin his next great work—the Poor People’s Campaign. It was there that he gave his last great speech—the “Mountaintop Speech.” It was there that he gave his final great sacrifice—his life. The Sanitation Workers’ Strike will always be known as the site of Martin Luther King’s last labor in the struggle.
And yet, in a much more important respect, the transformation of the strike from a local to a national event came not because of what Martin Luther King brought to it, but because of what he found there. And what did he find? He found an extraordinary and utterly distinctive union of the most important themes of the American Civil Rights struggle: the fusion of racial and economic justice, the affirmation of dignity in the midst of dehumanization, the collaboration of the religious and the radical, and the vision of love joined to the work of justice. This incredible union of disparate themes transformed the Sanitation Workers’ Strike into a movement of singular importance—both for its own time, and for ours.
And yet, the story remains largely unknown.
UNION: A Musical, is a celebration of these events, an exploration of these essential themes, and—at a time when we desperately need a vision of how to engage these struggles in our own day—an invitation to the work that the creation of a “more perfect union” requires of us all.
TOUR INFORMATION
As a part of its development process, UNION: A Musical, will tour select cities across the United States in 2019. These performances will take the form of a “staged reading” and will be followed by a time of audience engagement as to the meaning of the play’s themes and the power of its execution.
In exploring performance opportunities, the Creative Team seeks to offer the following:
● Support | We seek to perform in places where we can provide meaningful support for communities taking meaningful steps to address the themes of the play in their own place.
● Engagement | We seek not simply to perform for audiences, but to engage with audiences about their own experiences of the play and its fundamental themes.
● Collaboration | We seek to collaborate with local leaders, artists, actors, and musicians both in the performance itself and in the community engagement events that attend it.
● Accessibility | We seek to perform this play in venues—and at prices—that ensure that this musical experience is accessible to the entire community.
● Impact | We seek to perform this play in a context that is designed for live theater and that will allow the audience to be maximally engaged by the experience.
TEAM INFORMATION: click on the names below to find out more about this amazing creative team
Kristen Adele, Associate Producer, Co-Director
Amisho Baraka, Associate Producer, Co-Writer
Art Hooker, Producer, Filmmaker
Justin Merrick, Associate Producer, Co-Director
Gregory Thompson, Executive Producer, Co-Writer
Anasa Troutman, Executive Producer
Union was performed in Winston-Salem in early 2019:
Friday, February 8, 2019, 8pm, The Stevens Center
A morning of plenary sessions, workshops and dialogues will take place the following day:
Saturday, February 9, 2019, 9:00am-2:00pm, Union Baptist Church
On Friday, February 8, 2019, at 8PM | UNION: The Musical, was performed in Winston-Salem at The Stevens Center. Tickets were free and distributed through local partner churches and organizations.
THE FORUM ON FAITH AND CULTURE followed on Saturday, Feb 9, 2019. Close to 1,000 people from across racial, socio-economic and generational lines joined us for a dynamic forum during which we discussed the important and challenging subjects of race, justice and walking in the way of Jesus. Community Partners and Union Team members joined in these sessions, taking place at Union Baptist Church. Together we spent time lamenting, reflecting, learnings, and participating in thoughtful conversations which we expect will result in positive action.
The attendees and wider community were invited to sign a commitment card and take a “Next Step” with strong work that is already happening in our community. We are creating a resource book full of Next Steps for attendees of the Forum on Faith and Culture. This resource book will contain a variety of activities and opportunities surround race and justice.
Love Winston Salem 2018
This past Saturday, July 28, 2018, we partnered with several ministries including Carolina Crown, New Canaan Society, Samaritan Feet, Second Harvest of NWNC, and others to distribute 1,250 pairs of shoes and 2,000 books to students of WSFC Schools. This was an opportunity to offer the community more than a pair of shoes, it was a chance to offer a little hope, and serve our community through washing feet and providing a message of the gospel and encouragement to families.
Families came pouring into our three locations at Kimberly Park Elementary, Ibraham Elementary and Old Town Elementary.
We had over 100 wonderful volunteers who came from churches, the communities and even as far as Fort Hood.
We had roughly 400 pairs of shoes to give away at each site, along with food samples from The Food Bank, dance shoes, and books.
Many of the kids were thrilled to receive their new shoes, one little girl started dancing in her new shoes, while another little boy started taking off his old shoes before he even got to a foot washing station.
This was more than just a time to wash the kid's feet, it was a chance to encourage them, pray over them, and talk to them about school and the rest of life. This was a time for each volunteer to give a few minutes to show each child just how much they matter.
This was a beautiful opportunity for the people of Winston-Salem to be the hands of Jesus and love our neighbors.
For more information on Love Winston-Salem and how you can be involved next year, visit: loveoutloudws.com/lovewinstonsalem
Changing Our City Through Our Youth
During the Week of July 8th-13th, we hosted our Student Camp. Dozens of kids from our city came together for a week of worship, ministry and new friendships. This was an incredible opportunity for our city. Students from both sides of 52 came together for a week of impact.
Mornings began with time to discuss how they were feeling about the community outreach projects they were doing, hear from a speaker, and begin the day with prayer.
Each day the students were rotated through five different work sites, including, gardening/landscaping, putting in a new roof and floor in a house, and more.
One camp leader (picture below), commented, “I’m not looking at the task [replacing the floor] – I’m looking at these youths learning how to use a saw and take a measurement – actually teaching them. What it is is actually mentoring them and teaching them that they can do more than they ever believed they could. That’s the satisfaction.”
When talking to the students, I was time-and-time-again told that they had never before done anything like this Student Camp and would definitely be interested in doing more volunteer work if they had the opportunity. A student named Bree said, “I feel like everyone goes elsewhere to do mission work but really we need it so much here.” Another student said, “it’s [student camp] been great, meeting a lot of new friends. I never did a lot of work in a yard or a garden before. I would one-hundred percent be interested in doing something like this if I had more opportunities.” – Aaron (pictured below wearing gray)
After a full day of work at their volunteer sites, the students ended their day with a worship service.
Be Our Guest | The Story of Joy Prom
There is one magical night every year where individuals with all different abilities are able to come together and enjoy one of the most special nights of the year: prom night.
Joy Prom Winston-Salem is a full-scale, annual prom for the special needs individuals in our community, welcoming guests ages 16+ with any physical, developmental, or intellectual "different” ability. It’s a night where differences are celebrated and everyone gets the opportunity to dress up and go out for an evening full of singing and dancing.
And it all started with two couples asking a simple question: “why not?”
Donna Zayas had been driving to Concord, North Carolina for her son to participate in its Joy Prom. It was a good alternative to his high school’s prom: sensory friendly, full of individuals that had similar experiences. He enjoyed it so much that Donna started to consider what it would be like to have the same event in Winston Salem.
“I just saw people living out the Love of Christ,” Zayas said. “It was so powerful to watch so many people be celebrated.”
One night Donna, her husband, and two of their friends sat down and started to talk about the impact Joy Prom could have on our local community. Through encouraging words and deep conversation, the couples arrived at the question “why not?”, and couldn’t find an answer. From that conversation, Zayas knew there was no going back; she had to bring this opportunity to her city.
Inspired by that conversation with friends, Zayas got in contact with her pastor at Reynolda Church and formed her core team. Love Out Loud was excited to stand by Zayas’ side and help connect her with a community eager to turn her vision into a reality. By 2015, less than a year after that conversation took place, Zayas and her team hosted Winston Salem’s first Joy Prom at First Assembly Christian School.
Coming up this April 13, Joy Prom will celebrate its 4th year with the theme “Be Our Guest”. The amount of guests and community involvement has doubled in size since the prom began, with over 280 guests registered and over 400 community members signed up as volunteers.
There are a full spectrum of disabilities that are accommodated for at this event. Sign language interpreters will be available on sight for individuals who are non-verbal. Every area of the prom is wheelchair accessible. For individuals who are sensitive to sound, there is a designated quiet space. Volunteers are also trained to understand how different disabilities affect different individuals and how to best accommodate them ahead of time.
It’s a special opportunity for individuals with autism, down syndrome, physical disabilities, traumatic brain injuries to step out of their comfort zone in an area that is welcoming and accommodating for everyone. Guests enjoy a red carpet entrance, a "Glitz and Glamour" room, food, dancing, photo booths, Bingo, a craft, themed decorations and more. A Hospitality Suite is available for parents and caretakers that wish to join in the fun as well.
If you want to be a part of Joy Prom, we are still looking for male volunteers (and others!!) to escort the wonderful guests that have registered to attend prom. To volunteer, attend, or learn more, please visit their website at http://www.joypromwinstonsalem.org/
This blog written by Molly Flinchum, Love Out Loud in March 2018 - if you have any questions please email serve@loveoutloudws.com
Stories From Love Winston-Salem - Easton
"My favorite moment at Easton was when two young boys decided they'd do this (picture below) and laughed and smiled. For those of us who saw this, His great love was impressed on our day."
"A momma who doesn't speak any English had brought four kids, all five and under. She heard about this and took a bus and walked 30 minutes. Her sandal had broken by the time she got to the school. She was sitting in the office speaking with a school admin, saying she couldn't make it home because her shoe was broken and she had a 1-, 2-, and 3-year-old with her. I went and got her a new pair of shoes and sock and gently put them on her feet. When I asked if she knew Jesus, her face lit up and I got to pray over their entire family. We met sooo many needs that day."
"My mother-in-law was blessed when she saw two boys with hygiene items with their new shoes on. The two boys were dancing around saying 'I got my own toothbrush!!'"
Love Winston Salem 2017
In 2017, we partnered with Crown Cares, Samaritans Feet, Coca Cola of the Carolina's, Walmart, & Molina Health Care to distribute 1,250 pairs of shoes and a message of hope to the Easton Elementary, Ashley Academy, and Kimberley Park Elementary Communities; Rolling Hills Community; and Piedmont Freedom School Scholars.
Love Winston Salem 2016
In 2016, we partnered with Samaritans Feet, Crown Cares, and United Way of SC to provided 1,000 pairs of shoes and a message of hope to the Easton Elementary, Ashley Academy, and Kimberley Park Elementary Communities
