The Blessing of the Amistad

Blessing the Amistad As we stand here today, let us invite the presence of all those associated with the Amistad story down through the years. In the imagination of our hearts, let us stand with them as we bless this new schooner with the name of Amistad, Friendship.

I invite you to speak as a refrain the opening words of each invitation.

Stand here beside us, Singbe Pieh, courageous fighter for freedom, dedicated leader, brilliant Mendi thinker.

STAND HERE BESIDE US!

Stand here beside us, Kimbo, Konoma, Bar-Tu, Fuliwa, Pie, Fa-ban-na, Tsu-ka-ma, Ber-ri, Fawni and all the others, fighters and survivors aboard the Amistad.

STAND HERE BESIDE US!

Stand here beside us, Kali, Teme, Kagne and Margru, children bound for captivity but destined by God for freedom.

STAND HERE BESIDE US!

Join us in celebration, Roger Sherman Baldwin, risktaker for freedom and justice.

JOIN US IN CELEBRATION!

Join us in celebration, Lewis Tappan and all the members of the Amistad Committee, visionaries of a new society.

JOIN US IN CELEBRATION!

Touching the Amistad Join us in celebration, Simeon Jocelyn, Amos Beman, James Pennington, and all our abolitionist forebears in ministry, champions of liberty.

JOIN US IN CELEBRATION!

Be present with us, President John Quincy Adams, eloquent and brilliant diplomat and orator.

BE PRESENT WITH US!

Be present with us, Susan Child, Mary E. F. Smith, Hannah Grosvenor and all missionaries of the American Missionary Association, brave educators who left home and family for the sake of God's mission.

BE PRESENT WITH US!

Be present with us, Daniel Hand and George Tillotson, exemplars of generosity to the mission

BE PRESENT WITH US!

And be present with us, students of the AMA colleges - of Fisk, Tougaloo, Talladega, Lemoyne-Owen, Dillard and Huston-Tillotson, of Straight and Berea, of Howard and Hampton and Piedmont, for you have enriched our churches and our nation with your leadership and your many gifts.

BE PRESENT WITH US!

Now surrounded by this great cloud of witnesses, from Singbe to the present, let us pray:

Gracious God, by whose wisdom and power all justice and freedom are attained, by whose sustaining hand we have come this far by faith, by whose prophetic word many have been called into the work of justice and mercy, we ask your blessing on this vessel called Amistad.

Bless those who build it: let theirs be a spiritual work, infusing this schooner with your holy power to transform lives. With every stroke of every tool, may its mission be strengthened and its future secured.

John Thomas and Davida Foy Crabtree Bless those who seek its funding, who build its endowment, who plan its future: may they persist with strength undaunted. With every request they make, may gifts pour out. With every plan they make, may its vision come alive.

Bless its future captain and crew: grant them your guidance that they may be witnesses and examples of your determination for justice to prevail. With every passage they make, may they remember Singbe and the other courageous men, women and children who sailed the first Amistad in 1839.

Bless, O God, the visionaries who have led us here. We give thanks for the bold commitment of the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries, thanks for our partners in sponsorship, thanks for Amistad America and all its participants. May they know your blessing for their labors.

And bless all who will encounter this great ship in all its ports of call. May they hear your call and your promise of freedom and justice. May they commit themselves to give their lives to end racism and to build partnerships of people of all races in this nation and around the world. May Amistad lead us all to a new millenium of peace and understanding, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

by Davida Foy Crabtree
Delivered in blessing of the replica La Amistad at Mystic Seaport, Mystic, Connecticut, October 16, 1999