NEWS 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

February 27, 2010 

PROCLAMATION

"UNITY DAY" 

For the past five years Salem Missionary Baptist Church has expressed its desire to unify the entire Sumter County community by hosting Unity Day on the last week-end in February. The Unity Day concept was established on February 22, 2004 when the Spirit of God placed in the heart of Salem Youth Minister, Reverend James Kennedy, compassion for the joint suffering of all our community due to fragmentation among us. It is the deep conviction of the members of Salem Missionary Baptist Church and its Interim Pastor, Rev. Lei Knight, that community unity is critically important to the growth and survival of the Sumter, South Carolina community. It is the belief of the members of Salem Missionary Baptist Church that the labor of their great forefathers was for unity, and with that belief in mind, Salem reached out into the community of Sumter to solicit support for a day of Unity among churches of all denominations, businesses, politicians, civic groups, and other organizations. The Unity Day plans seek also to create partnerships among and between local governing bodies, schools, law enforcement agencies, churches, denominations, and all citizens regardless of age, sex, race, orientation, education level, economic strata or background through a program of group participation.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT   I, Joseph T. McElveen, Jr., Mayor of the City of Sumter, by virtue of the authority vested in me, do hereby proclaim Saturday, February 27, 2010 as

"UNITY DAY" 

     in the 

      CITY OF SUMTER

and hereby invite all citizens of Sumter to partner with us, Salem Missionary Baptist Church and Salem’s partner churches of all faiths and denominations, to build a project unity in our community on February 27, 2010.

                                                                               Joseph T. McElveen, Jr., Mayor