Bethel Missionary Baptist Church of Savannah, Inc. and Wedded Bliss Foundation, Inc., will present the Eighth Annual Black Marriage Day celebration, Sunday, March 28, 2010, at 5:00 p.m. with the theme “Celebrate The Joy.” Pastor Beverly Flowers of Asbury United Methodist Church is the guest speaker.

Bethel M.B. Church will join activists in hundreds of cities around the country to highlight the benefits of married life and offer celebrations to strengthen and promote marriage in [Savannah‘s] Black community.

As in the past years, Pastor Jerome William Baker and the Bethel family will show their appreciation to all couples who have stayed the course and kept their sacred vows. We will acknowledge the couple married the most years, second most years and the newest wedded couple. There will be renewing of vows, jumping the broom and a three tier wedding cake. This event will be highlighted by a rousing sermon by an Anointed Vessel chosen by God for this occasion. We are so elated and blessed that Pastor Beverly Flowers has accepted our invitation to bring the message for this service.

“Bethel will always be willing to promote activities and programs that glorify God and fellowship with the community”, explained Deacon Florida Hunt, Chairman of the 2010 BMD Celebration.

"We're creating a cultural shift in the Black community to reconsider the benefits of marriage and “Celebrate the Joy” that exists in spite of the pain we often experience," Wedded Bliss Foundation Executive Director Nisa Muhammad said. “Much of what we hear about marriage in the Black community is a blues song about low rates, out of wedlock births, escalating divorces and how somebody done somebody wrong. We want to replace that blues song with a love song of joy. We want to “Celebrate the Joy!"

Black Marriage Day has been celebrated annually at locally sponsored events hosted by faith-based and community groups on the fourth Sunday of March since 2003. Marriage activists in more than 300 cities participated in 2009, Mrs. Muhammad said.