TIFTON — Singing, dancing, worship and ceremony at Eagles Wings Judah Worship Center on Jan. 1 marked the 156th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation taking effect.

The annual observance of the anniversary celebrates the day the Emancipation Proclamation took effect, freeing the enslaved peoples in the Confederate states.

The service, which began at 11 a.m., started off with the planning committee making its stately way up the center aisle while singing “We Are Marching Up To Zion.”

The entire service was interspersed with hymns and songs that held deep meaning for the congregants. Some, like “My Country, Tis’ of Thee,” were patriotic. Others, such as “Standing on the Promises” and “Onward, Christian Soldiers,” proclaimed strong faith and a dependence on God.

The most moving songs were the old spirituals that have been associated with the suffering of slaves and the yearning for freedom before the proclamation was signed in 1862.

Deacon Roosevelt Russell, despite being in his 90s, sang these songs in a powerful voice: “Roll, Jordan, Roll,” “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen,” “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “Steal Away to Jesus.”

Russell sang during the lighting of the three symbolic candles.