RICHMOND, Va. — As the nation observed Martin Luther King Day Jan. 16, churches and institutions with Baptist ties across the Mid-Atlantic recalled the legacy of the slain civil rights leader with sermons, lectures and acts of service.
James Forbes, pastor emeritus of Riverside Church in New York, told members of Watts Street Baptist Church in Durham, N.C., Jan. 15 it was time for a spiritual awakening in America.
A memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. was unveiled in Washington last year.
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“It’s one thing to have the spirit inside you,” Forbes said, according to the Durham Herald-Sun. “It’s another to show it through your behavior and policies.”
Forbes, who is a former professor of preaching at New York’s Union Theological Seminary, retired in 2007 as pastor of Riverside Church, a congregation with a Baptist heritage. He was also scheduled to be the keynote speaker at an interfaith service hosted by Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington on Jan. 16 at 3 p.m.
At Bluefield College in Bluefield, Va., students and faculty will mark the holiday by volunteering in three locations – the Bluefield Union Mission and the WISE Center (Women in Search of Empowerment) in Bluefield, W. Va., and the Bland (Va.) Ministry Center, a social services agency operated by Baptists.
“Numerous members of the Bluefield College family are expected to participate to make a difference in the lives of individuals living in our community,” said Kristen Garrett, who is organizing the event. “Our hope is that this day of service will leverage the strength of our students and employees to help tackle local problems and advance Dr. King’s dream of opportunity for all.”
Acts of service are also featured at Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C., which will kick off a week of activities on Jan. 16.
“The [week of service] empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems and moves us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a beloved community,” said campus minister Faithe Beam.
Among the Campbell events are two addresses by a Washington-based activist on Jan. 17 and 18. Brenda Girton-Mitchell is director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the U.S. Department of Education, where she engages community-based organizations.
Another activist will give an annual MLK Day address at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, N.C., on Jan. 17. Carolyn McKinstry of Birmingham, Ala., is a veteran of the civil rights movement and a longtime member of Birmingham’s Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. McKinstry was present in 1963 when white racists bombed the church, killing four of her friends.
“For several years, the Dimensions program at Gardner-Webb University has scheduled a speaker in recognition of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday,” said Tracy Jessup, the school’s senior minister and vice president for Christian life and service. “Carolyn McKinstry’s life has intersected with such historic moments in the civil rights movement and we are honored to have her address students.”