Juneteenth Gospel Celebration

Join us Sunday, June 19th, following Annual Conference for a Juneteenth Gospel Celebration in the Nanci Weldon Open-Air Gym at Lake Junaluska. There will be music, worship, food, and fun for the whole family!

Watch a 2-minute recap of the 2022 celebration here below.

Missed the celebration? Watch the Juneteenth Livestream below.

What is Juneteenth?

What is Juneteenth?

"Juneteenth is short for June Nineteenth, and marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865... to ensure that all enslaved people be freed.  Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday...On June 17, 2021, Juneteenth officially became a federal holiday." (What Is Juneteenth? - HISTORY)

In the fall of 2020, Ken Howle reached out to The Smoky Mountain District on behalf of Lake Junaluska to partner and plan a worship service to show solidarity with African Americans all over the country who were protesting gross injustices such as the death of George Floyd.  Those conversations led to the formation of the Smoky Mountain District's Justice and Reconciliation Team and the Juneteenth Gospel Celebration was conceived, with the first annual celebration held on June 19, 2021.

-Smoky Mountain District Justice & Reconciliation Team
Rev. Peter Constantian
Rev. Nicole Jones
Tammy McDowell
Rev. Wayne Dickert
Rev. Evan Hill
Rev. Dr. Jae Lee
Rev. D'Andre Ash
Rev. Keith Turman