Berean Baptist Church Rhode Island
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Native American Heritage Month

Our Friends Violet and Amelia read Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message
by Chief Jake Swamp Illustrated by Erwin Printup

Berean's Lenten Book Club

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The Christian Education Committee invites you to join our new Berean Book Club (BBC).  The club will be meeting quarterly to discuss a book. The BBC will be kicking off the fun with a Lenten theme, and its first selection will be The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd. Many of you might know her from previous novels such as The Mermaid Chair or The Secret Life of Bees. This is an interesting look at the ministry of Jesus from a very different perspective.
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A first-century intellectual fights the limitations imposed on women before an encounter with an 18-year-old Jesus leads to their marriage, his dangerous public ministry, and her flight to safety in Alexandria.
The group will meet to discuss this title on Tuesday, April 5 at 7:00 pm. The session will take place in hybrid format, allowing you to join us in person or virtually via Zoom.

If you would like to participate, please contact Aaron Coutu at 
AaronCoutu76@gmail.com or 401-215-3279.
Those interested in participating in the group can borrow a free copy of the book at the Jesse M. Smith Memorial Library with their OSL library card. If you don’t have a library card, you can get one with your RI proof of residency, such as a RI Driver License or other photo ID along with a piece of mail from your current home address.  Copies of the book will also be available in large print and audio CD formats.
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Sit In : How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down

by Andrea Davis Pinkney, Illustrated by Brian Pinkney
read by our friend Avery Covino

This picture book is a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the momentous Woolworth’s lunch counter sit-in, when four college students staged a peaceful protest that became a defining moment in the struggle for racial equality and the growing civil rights movement.
Andrea Davis Pinkney uses poetic, powerful prose to tell the story of these four young men, who followed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words of peaceful protest and dared to sit at the “whites only” Woolworth’s lunch counter.

summary found on littlebrownlibrary.com

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Part 1
Part 2

Lillians Right to Vote
​A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965

Read by Deb Tillinghast, this story by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Shana W. Evans tells the story of 
'An elderly African American woman, en route to vote, remembers her family’s tumultuous voting history in this picture book publishing in time for the fiftieth anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.' (ncgs.org)
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Preaching to the Chickens

Anna Collins reads Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis written by Jabari Asim and illustrated by E.B. Lewis
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King of Ragtime

Emma Latendresse and her daughter Gracie share King of Ragtime: The Story of Scott Joplin by Stephen Costanza. Joplin was an African America composer whose ragtime music paved the way for jazz.
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Check out this Brief Biography of Scott Joplin by Liberty Park Music for more info about this great composer.

Bullets & Bulletins:Black Activism in Civil War Era Rhode Island

The Rhode Island State Archives recently created this engaging virtual exhibit to showcase an in-person exhibit from 2017 that examined Blac activism in the state through the service of Black soldiers in the Civil War while ordinary citizens advocated or equal rights.

We March

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Violet & Amelia Palmer share We March by Shane W.  Evans, which presents the events of the 1963 march on Washington, D.C.

Learn more about the March on Washington with this MicroDoc from Time magazine.

Don't forget to listen to Billie Holiday sing this amazing song here.

Strange Fruit

Billie Holiday helped change the world with her song "Strange Fruit." Aaron Coutu reads Strange Fruit: Billie Holiday and the Power of a Protest Song by Gary Golio with illustrations by Charlotte Riley-Webb. ​Like the song, the book deals with some tough topics.

If you would like to know more about Billie Holiday, you can check out this Mini-Bio by Biography.com or a full documentary by BBC4. 

Visit the Legacy Museum to learn more about what Ms. Holiday is singing and check out the Lynching Memorial at the museum

3 Poems by Langston Hughes

Check out three amazing poets by the great Langston Hughes, as read by Ann Harwood.

If you would like to learn more about Langston Hughes, visit this great piece on poets.org, which has a brief biography and more poems.

​Mae Among the Stars

Mae Among the Stars, written by Rhoda Ahmed, illustrated by Stasia Burrington and published by HarperCollins is the story of Mae Jemison, the first African American Woman to travel in space.  
It is read to us by April Beth Pearce
If you would like to learn more about Dr. Jemison, follow this link for a series of short video's by her.

Martin's Big Words

Aaron Coutu reads Martin Big Words by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Bryan Collier
and published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
a biography of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr,
​includes the words from some of his most famous sermons/speeches

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More Pride
at BBC

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Berean Members Nancy Binns and Kelly Hunt read Papa, Daddy and Riley
a story about a girl with two fathers.
Written by Seamus Kirst and Illustrated by Devon Holzworth

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Anna & Miss Ann reading
Juneteenth for Mazie

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  Christian Ed hosting Juneteenth strawberry delight after worship this Sunday June 20 for a small gathering in Granger-Hall Auditorium.

Menu: strawberry soda, strawberry seltzer, fresh strawberries and red velvet cupcakes.

    Keep cool and carry on!


  🌸Christian Ed Angels
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration honoring the end of slavery in the United States.
On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger led thousands of federal troops to Galveston, Texas to announce that the Civil War had ended, and slaves had been freed. Approximately 250,000 Texan slaves had no idea that their freedom had been secured by the government.
However, the history of freedom in this country can be tangled, and this is no exception.
Here are nine facts about the historical moment, and what led up to it:
1. You may recall Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation from elementary social studies classes. In the condensed version, many learn that this executive order meant immediate freedom for slaves throughout the nation. However, since the country was in the midst of the Civil War, those states that had seceded from the Union did not adhere to the Proclamation, and slaves in those states remained unfree.
2. Though much of the language in the Emancipation Proclamation suggests otherwise, Lincoln’s primary objective was not to ameliorate the lives of those in bondage. Rather, his intent was preserving the Union.
In August 1862, Horace Greely, the editor of the New York Tribune, published an editorial addressed to Lincoln pressuring his stance on slavery and urging him to abolish it. Lincoln responded in an open letter to Greely, published in the Tribune that same August:
“My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union and is not either to save or destroy Slavery,” Lincoln wrote. “What I do about Slavery and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save this Union...”
3. Lincoln and the Union army used slavery as a political motive to justify strengthened military endeavors against the Confederacy. Black soldiers were able to fight for the Union when Lincoln passed the Proclamation. Though they faced discrimination and often performed menial roles because of presumed incompetence, they increased the Union army in size.
4. The Civil War ended in April of 1865. In June of that year, General Gordon Granger and his troops traveled to Galveston, Texas to announce “General Orders No. 3” It stated: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.
5. Throughout the war, Texas was not as closely monitored as other battle states. For this reason, many slave owners went to Texas with their slaves. With its relatively negligible Union presence, slavery continued there for much longer. After the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, slaves in wartorn states often escaped behind Union lines or fought on its behalf
6. The slaves who got the news were jubilant to hear of their freedom on Juneteenth. In the book, “Lone Star Pasts: Memory and History in Texas,” Felix Haywood, a former slave who gave a testimony about Juneteenth as part of a New Deal project recalled:
"The end of the war, it come jus’ like that—like you snap your fingers….Hallelujah broke out….Soldiers, all of a sudden, was everywhere—comin’ in bunches, crossin’, walkin’ and ridin’. Everyone was a-singin.’ We was all walkin’ on golden clouds….Everybody went wild...We was free. Just like that we was free.”
7. Freedom did not come at the “snap of a finger” for everyone in Texas. Some people who should’ve been freed continued to work through the harvest season because their masters withheld this announcement to reap more wages out of their slaves. This left many former slaves treated as though they were still in bondage.
In “Lone Star Pasts” Susan Merritt reported:
“Lots of Negroes were killed after freedom
...bushwhacked, shot down while they were trying to get away. You could see lots of Negroes hanging from trees in Sabine bottom right after freedom."
8. In the 1870s, a group former slaves pooled $800 together through local churches to purchase ten acres of land and create Emancipation Park to host future Juneteenth celebrations in modern-day Houston.
9. In 1980 “Emancipation Day in Texas” became a legal state holiday in recognition of Juneteenth. However state offices do not completely close, as it is considered a "partial staffing holiday." Elsewhere, the holiday is also referred to as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, and Black Independence Day.


source https://www.wrcbtv.com/story/42268078/9-things-to-know-about-the-history-of-juneteenth

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Berean Celebrates Pride
Our Friend Aaron reading King and King
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Our Friend Aaron reading And Tango Makes Three
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Amelia & Ashley Reading Eyes that Kiss in the Corners



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Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi
 read by Lauren and Andrew Capron 


Hidden Figures 
the true story of four black women and the space race

by 
Margot Lee Shetterly
 with Winifred Conkling
read by Aaron Coutu


Ruby Bridges
presented by Deb Tillinghast

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for more information visit these links
​www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/video/ruby-bridges-goes-to-school/
www.timeforkids.com/g34/ruby-bridges/
​www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/media/visual-arts/norman-rockwell--the-problem-we-all-live-with/

Daisy Bates & Bessie Coleman
presented by Joel Rawson

to learn more...
and follow these links
thekidshouldseethis.com/post/bessie-coleman-the-first-female-african-american-pilot
​www.nps.gov/people/dbates.htm

Ida B Wells 
presented by Ann Harwood 
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For more information of Ida B. Wells
www.nps.gov/people/idabwells.htm
​www.nps.gov/articles/000/suffrage60seconds_ida_b_wells.htm

Arturo Alfonso Schomburg
presented by Aaron Coutu
If you would like more information on Arturo Schomburg and the Schomburg Center you can watch these two videos
you may also enjoy this online article
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George Washington Carver
presented Ashley Palmer along with Violet & Amelia !!!
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To learn more about G.W. Carver visit this link
History & Culture - George Washington Carver National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
​kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/history/african-american-heroes/george-washington-carver/
Janeen Rawson reading about Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass
Follow these links for more info on
Sojourner Truth


kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/history/african-american-heroes/sojourner-truth/
www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sojourner-truth
Follow these links for more info on Frederick Douglass
​kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/history/african-american-heroes/frederick-douglass/
​www.pbs.org/video/american-experience-frederick-douglass-writes-his-autobiography/
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Martin Luther King Jr. Day

We have two very special videos to start our celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  
On the left Amelia and Violet & their mom Ashley read 'We Are All Alike, We are All Different.
And on the right Donna reads Martin's Big Words to her grandchildren.  

We would also like to share this links that our Director of Christian Education
Ann Harwood has collected for us


https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/history/martin-luther-king-jr/
This link takes you to a quit introduction to Dr. King suitable for children that includes photographs and brief explanations of his childhood, his life and ministry including his arrests, his family and his Nobel Prize.  There is also a video to watch


https://www.tolerance.org/the-moment/january-11-2021-teach-mlk-in-connection-with-the-attack-on-the-us-capitol
This link takes you to articles for adults which connect the life and ministry of Dr. King to current events.  These are part of a project called Teacher Tolerance which is sponsored and created by The Souther Poverty Law Center


www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/eyesontheprize/
This link takes you to the PBS documentary on the Civil Rights Movement, 'Eyes on the Prize'

www.pbssocal.org/education/at-home-learning/seven-ways-honor-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-s-legacy-children/
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As you can see from the title of the link, this takes you to another PBS resources specifically created for children and families that lists seven ways to honor Dr. King's Legacy
Pastor Darin's favorite is the seventh which is Celebrate with the Music of the Civil Rights Movement.  What is yours?  


Our Final link
www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/01/16/mlk-day-martin-luther-king-jr-holiday-monday/2838025001/
details the story of the creation of Dr. King's Holiday. 

​please e-mail the church at bereanbaptistchurchri@gmail.com
to let us know what resource you found most enjoyable or if you have resources you would like to share.  





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Benny and Ally Trinque
Little Blue Trucks Christmas & A Merry Christmas Wish


Violet and Amelia Palmer
An Otis Christmas


April Beth Wiles
Mary Knew, Do You?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/NxXJAgjZCYR1yGfC9


Carol Pelkey Puppet Show
Nadine Nahabedian Singing What Child is This


Ashley Palmer singing O Holy Night
accompanied by Emme Latendresse


Nancy Binns & Kelly Hunt reading The Crippled Lamb
Liam Latendresse playing Frosty the Snow Man


Sharon Ponce reading Santa and the Christ Child &
​Lance and Anna Collins playing O Come All Ye Faithful


The Talented Trinity Landry Playing
Jingle Bells


Miss Donna Landry reading the Christmas Story 

Jack Latendresse playing 
​Angels We Have Heard on High


Miss Ann Harwood reading
The Story of Hanukkah

Christians are not the only people to celebrate a holy day at this time of year.  Our Jewish siblings celebrate Hanukkah. Buddhists will observe Rohatsu or Bodhi Day, which celebrates Buddha's decision and vow to sit under the Bodhi tree until he reached spiritual enlightenment.  Our Latinx Christians neighbors will celebrate Posadas Navidenas which commemorates the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem.  Zoraostrians will remember the death of their prophet Zarathustra, a holy day they call Zarathost Diso.  Many of our African America friends will begin their Kwanzaa celebrations on the same day, Dec 26th.  And not that long ago, in November, Hindus, Jains and Sikhs celebrate Diwali, their festival of lights.  When we say to one another 'Happy Holidays,' we are simply living into our Baptist heritage which has always celebrated the diversity of human responses to the Divine and resisted manipulating or coercing fellow citizens into fellowship with God in the same way as we do, or at all for that matter.  Acknowledging the variety of holy days that occur near Christmas does not diminish our faith.  On the contrary, it strengthens our witness because it shows that we love all our neighbors exactly as Jesus called us to.  

Janeen Rawson reading Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree

Gracie Latendresse playing Jolly Old Saint Nicholas

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  • Home
  • Christian Education
  • Prayer & Meditation
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  • Food & Clothes - Outreach Ministries
  • Staff
  • Lent 2021
  • Current Sermon Series
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  • Epiphany 2021 Sermon Series
  • Advent & Christmas Sermon Series
  • Pride 2021 Sermon Series
  • Past Sermon Series
  • Event Calendar