Merced-raised church leader to speak about unity at Black History program

Liberty Fellowship, an Atwater church, is getting ready to host its annual Black History Program, the only one of its kind in Merced County, according to organizers.

The program, now in its seventh year, is known to offer history lessons and highlight the accomplishments of local black leaders. The celebration will take place at 5 p.m. Feb. 28 at Liberty Fellowship, located at 1900 Shaffer Road, and will include gospel choir performances.

Felicia Roberts, chairperson of the church’s black history committee, said the program is an opportunity to recognize those who have made or are making a difference in the Merced community. The Black History Program at Liberty Fellowship is free and open to all.

This year’s guest speaker will be The Rev. David Denson Jr., a pastor in Victorville with roots in Merced. Denson, 56, was born in Forth Worth, Texas, and raised in south Merced. He is the son of the city’s first black firefighter, a fact that he said inspired him to pursue a life and career without limitations.

After graduating from Merced High School, he joined the U.S. Army, where he served for eight years. He eventually moved to Victorville in San Bernardino County. There, he established Burning Bush Church, which he has led for 19 years. Denson still drives up to Merced regularly to visit family and offer service at St. Matthew Baptist Church – the church he grew up in.

Roberts said Denson was chosen to address the local community during Black History Month for several reasons. First, he is a passionate, eloquent speaker, Roberts said. His connection to the community, she hopes, will resonate with locals, especially with the younger generations.

“Our youth need people to look up to other than athletes and entertainers,” Roberts said. “Dr. Denson understands what it’s like to grow up in the south side of Merced. He has built a successful life and comes back to give back.”

Returning to the area brings back many childhood memories, Denson said. But his first thought is how much the city and county have changed. Merced County, where blacks now make up about 4 percent of the population, has changed dramatically, compared with when he moved to the area in the late 60s, he said.

The dwindling black population, he said, has caused the community to part ways. Now, he said, is the perfect time to send a message about the importance of unity.

“The heartbeat of the African American community has always been the church,” Denson said. “So we have to get back to where the churches are united, because if the churches are divided, then so are the black people.”

During the Feb. 28 event, Denson also hopes to address the importance of empowering local youths – the future and heart of grass-roots efforts, such as the Black Lives Matter movement. In order to create change, a community needs to be 100 percent invested in its youth, he explained.

Denson shared that growing up in Merced, there were not very many opportunities for young people, especially for kids of color living in poverty. From what he sees and hears, he said, not much has changed.

“The farthest we went when I was a kid was Fresno; that was the place to go,” Denson said. “And that may still be the case for many. (Youth) don’t know how much they don’t know because they have never gone outside the walls of this Valley.”

Giving young people exposure to countless possibilities, he believes, is what can help bring about positive changes.

Black History Month, he said, is all about remembering those who helped create change and coming together to continue those efforts.

“If you change people, you change family, you change community, and then you can change a nation,” he said. “We have to do our part to make ourselves and our families stronger.”

This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 7:07 PM with the headline "Merced-raised church leader to speak about unity at Black History program."