As the new year approaches, Black churches across Southeast Michigan are reflecting on the challenges and opportunities they face in 2025 while continuing a centuries-old tradition of renewal and hope. This year’s Watch Night services, which have been celebrated since 1862 when enslaved African Americans waited for the Emancipation Proclamation to take effect in the new year, offer a moment to look back, celebrate community strength, and focus on goals for the future. 

In this installment of “The Black Church in Detroit” series, host Stephen Henderson explores the Watch Night tradition and how local Black church leaders are preparing for the new year.

He talks with Rev. Torion Bridges, senior pastor of The Commonwealth of Faith Church in Redford, and Pastor Velma Jean Overman, outreach pastor at Christ Temple City of Refuge in Inkster, about the church’s role as a beacon of faith, hope, and activism in the Black community. Both pastors emphasize the importance of the Black church addressing their communities’ unique challenges.

Pastor Bridges, who is a millennial, talks about the need for the Black church to listen to the different needs of his generation. He also points to the pressing concerns of food insecurity and limited access to education, especially as the new presidential administration takes office. He stresses the importance of churches actively engaging with these issues, ensuring that the community’s needs are met and heard.  

Meanwhile, Pastor Overman expresses the importance of Black churches coming together with one common agenda to bring change instead of being fractured or divided. She cites issues such as economic strength, transit, and access to healthcare as top concerns in Inkster and explains how the city’s churches are working to galvanize the community and congregants around the next steps for 2025.