The Calvary Baptist Church of Red Hook celebrated Black History Month with singing, acting and music

The event was called The Church: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Kids and adults were involved, and there were three different acts with music (guitar, drums and piano) in between and during each one.

“It was more or less looking at the church, what used to happen, comparing it to today, and thinking about how it can be better for the future tomorrow,” Deaconess Betty Moorning said. “We talked about if somebody breaks the rule and gets up at the wrong time, and we look at that because in yesterday’s church that was not done. You knew the rules and you knew not to break them.”

The first act was titled “Church Yesterday.” The Brownsville Community Baptist Church Male Chorus performed a few songs enthusiastically with music in the background for about 20 minutes with many people clapping.

At the end of the “Church Yesterday” section, Moorning observed that people don’t trust each other like they used to. The opening of the “Church Today” section was a pleasing rendition of the song “Victory is Mine.”

In “Come as You Are” (scene one) of “Church Today,” a woman was wearing a sheet and then proclaimed to another performer that the church had too many rules. 

In “Children Playing Games During Service” (scene two), a boy was playing a game on his phone and a told a woman who questioned him that his mother would get her in trouble. 

The other acts during Church Today included “I Can Do That” (scene three) and “Offering/Prayer” (scene four). There were nine people, kids and adults, who were in the “Church Today” section.  

“Change is good, and some things we have to hold on to, and some things have gotten better,” Deaconess Moorning said.

During the “Church Tomorrow” section, Deaconess Moorning said some words about the church’s predictions for the future. There was speculation that the influence of podcasts and social media in the church would rise and that church would more often be held in parks and coffee shops.

A key part of this section was that kids walked down the aisle of the church, and it was announced what their career aspirations were. Some were dressed to look the part of their goal for the future. The career aspirations of the kids included chief of police, movie producer, veterinarian, actor, basketball player, fashion designer and songwriter. 

The closing song was “Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand.” Deaconess Moorning said she hoped that people were inspired and thanked everyone who performed.