Juneteenth Celebration
We are once again hosting the Juneteenth Festival in Elk River on June 19th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM in our parking lot. Dr. Rev. Shawn R. Moore will speak, fresh pizza for dinner, and lots of activities for the kids. If it rains the event will be moved indoors.

Idea Behind the Event …

In Minnesota and across the United States, racial covenants were clauses placed in property deeds that prohibited people of certain races, particularly Black families and other communities of color, from owning or occupying land. These covenants were widely used during the early and mid-20th century and played a significant role in segregation, housing discrimination, and generational inequity. Although racial covenants were declared legally unenforceable by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1948, many remain embedded in historical property records today as painful reminders of injustice.

Recently, Elk River United Methodist Church discovered that the deed for a portion of the parking lot contains a racial covenant. While this language no longer carries legal force, its presence calls us to acknowledge the harm and exclusion woven into our shared history.

As people of faith, we believe truth-telling is part of healing. During our Juneteenth celebration on June 19 at 5:30 PM, with dinner provided, we will gather to reclaim this property as holy ground — a place rooted not in exclusion, but in welcome, dignity, justice, and belonging for all people.

We invite the community to join us as we remember the past, honor the meaning of Juneteenth, and commit ourselves anew to the work of reconciliation and beloved community.