People from all walks of life, and all religious backgrounds, are invited to Henry County to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
McDonough First United Methodist Church, at 151 Macon St., will host a “Unity in the Community” ecumenical worship service January 13 at 3 p.m. The event is designed as a way to honor Dr. King by promoting hope and peace among people of different backgrounds.
JB Bass, a member of McDonough First United Methodist, has been helping to plan the service since January of last year. He said the purpose of the service is to assemble a diverse group of people to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy, “while creating a spirit of outreach and unity.”
“It’s a full worship service,” said Bass. “We’re going to have two choirs to sing, and we will have participation from several churches.”
Retired U.S. Army Chaplain, the Rev. Charles Jackson, devised the concept for the service, working with Bass and others to bring it to fruition. Jackson said he wants to use the event as a way to bring people together as Americans.
“Being a military chaplain, I’m used to working with chaplains from all different faith groups,” said Jackson. “Martin Luther King’s mission was to make the world a better place, and to get beyond things that separate us. We’re human beings, connected to each other. It’s just really exciting that we can do this.”
The Rev. T.J. McBride, senior pastor at Tabernacle of Praise Church International in McDonough, will kick off the service by reading Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” litany. Others slated to offer prayers during the event include: the Rev. Dr. E.W. Lee, pastor of Shiloh Baptist; Charles Iner, deacon at St. James the Apostle; an imam from the Henry County Islamic Center; and a representative from a Jewish synagogue in Fayetteville.
Other churches that will take part in the service are Red Oak United Methodist Church and and Congregation B’nai Israel in Jonesboro. The service will also feature an offering for the Helping in His Name Food Pantry in Stockbridge.
The Rev. Carol Cook, pastor of McDonough First United Methodist Church, will preach a sermon as part of the occasion. Cook echoed the sentiments offered by Bass and Jackson, and said she hopes the event will honor Dr. King by encouraging a “sense of unity,” while crossing religious, economic and racial barriers. “It’s just a way of trying to bring people together,” said Cook. “I think that’s something we’ve been dealing with for a long time. We need to work together to build relationships with each other, and for people to work together on the needs that are taking place in the community.”
