We Shall Overcome!

When Reverend Michael Haynes from the Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury ended his fiery sermon on Sunday January nineteenth, he invited twenty-three visitors from our First Parish Church in Westford to join him at the front of the church. "Because it's Martin Luther King weekend, I want us to all join in and sing 'We Shall Overcome'", he explained. He asked all the high school and middle school students from his historic Baptist church to join the seventeen visiting middle school students from First Parish at the front of the church. He also asked middle school RE teacher Beth Peterson to come forward and hold his hand and, after teaching her how to "sway like a Baptist", he led a rousing rendition of "We Shall Overcome".

We visited the Twelfth Baptist Church during our Middle School World Religion's unit on "The Black Church". We studied the history of religion in the African American community from slavery through current times. We also listened to some great Gospel music and discussed its importance in the church. The Twelfth Baptist Church was selected for the field trip because of its historical importance, it is a direct descendent of the First African Baptist Meeting House, and because of its charismatic minister.

Rev. Michael Haynes has preached at this church for fifty years and was a close friend of Martin Luther King, who attended the Twelfth Baptist Church while he studied at BU. Rev Haynes is well-known for his fiery sermons and social consciousness, especially his work with young people in Boston.

Thanks to Lizette Greaves, Ellen Martins, Amy Burk, Beth O'Connell and Tom Parish for accompanying us on the trip. High praises go to our seventeen middle school students who represented us very well during a two and a half hour service!