ANNUAL ORATORICAL MINISTRY SHOWCASE
HISTORY OF THE SHOWCASE
Originating June 24, 1989, the first Oratorical took place at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia. The Oratorical allows the Union's church members in five age categories to showcase their public-speaking skills. The five age categories are as follows:
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Category 1: Ages 6-7
Category 2: Ages 8-9
Category 3: Ages 10-13
Category 4: Ages 14-17
Category 5: Age 18+
2021 TOPIC - A HOUSE DIVIDED
On May 25, 2020, the world watched in horror as a white Minneapolis police officer callously kneeled on the neck of George Floyd for eight minutes and 46 seconds, depriving him of the oxygen he needed to live until he died. At that moment, the scabs were once again ripped from the wounds of systemic racism endured by people of color since the first Africans arrived in America. The triggered protests that followed in the midst of a pandemic further illuminated the extreme division, anger, and polarization in this country. Is it possible to heal this divide? What can we do as Christians within our congregations or as individuals to bring the country back together?
