Group sponsoring annual MLK service Sunday

Local faith leaders are seeking to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., while also working to bring out the best in their communities.

For the fifth straight year, the Henry County Interfaith Coalition is sponsoring an event honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The “Daring to Dream” service is scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m., at Congregation B’nai Israel, 1633 Ga. Highway 54 in Fayetteville.

Scheduled guest speakers for the service are: the Rev. Dr. John H. Vaughn, executive pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta; and Lydia Medwin, associate rabbi at The Temple in Atlanta.

The Henry County Interfaith Coalition is a collection of interfaith pastors working to assess issues in the community. The Rev. Dr. Rob Harrell, pastor at St. Luke Lutheran Church in McDonough, is the president of the coalition.

Harrell initially got involved in the coalition on the heels of incidents including the George Floyd case in Minneapolis, Minn. He acknowledged that the group, which formed in 2020, originally came together to discuss racial issues on the heels of a “tumultuous” summer in 2020.

“People were looking for a way to process their own thoughts and feelings about things that were going on in our culture at that time,” said Harrell. “For me, having a group of colleagues who were dealing with a lot of the same questions was really helpful for me.”

Since that time, Harrell said, the coalition has “broadened” its vision and goals beyond those affecting racial relations. The coalition, he said, has worked to “morph into more of a group that is trying to bring people together across religious lines to see how we can do the most good in our community.”

“Our main goals as a coalition are to provide common witness to those commitments; to provide mutual support to the diverse faith communities in the county; to provide opportunities for education and dialogue; and to provide opportunities for service in the county.

“We want the community in which we live to be one that reflects a commitment to justice and freedom, regardless of one’s race, religion, gender, social or economic status, etc.,” he continued. “We have these different perspectives, but what we all have is a desire to see our community be its best self. I think that’s what unites us. Even with our differences, we have a lot in common. There’s a diversity of perspectives and traditions, but we’re finding common ground.”

Currently, the coalition includes a number of leaders from local Protestant churches, as well as representatives from St. James the Apostle Catholic Church in McDonough, the Henry County Islamic Center, and Congregation B’nai Israel synagogue in Fayetteville. Additional supporters of the coalition, said Harrell, are Stockbridge Mayor Anthony Ford and the Atlanta-based Interfaith Children’s Movement.

Harrell expressed his gratitude to the synagogue and its representative, Susan Burden, for their efforts leading up to this year’s service.

“They’re not only hosting it, but they’ve done a lot of the work in planning it, so we’re grateful for the involvement of the synagogue in this,” said Harrell.

Harrell said coalition members are working “to bring people into the circle,” in order to expand its efforts. Such a task, he said, has been a struggle during and immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic, but the task continues nonetheless.

“We’re looking to start an involvement of other faith communities,” he said.

Harrell said the words of Micah 6:8 in the Bible serve as a guide for his work in the coalition. The verse states: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (ESV)

“What does that look like on a practical level?” asked Harrell. “The way we do that is still unfolding.”

Still, Harrell offered his thoughts on how to improve racial relations locally, and around the country.

“I think it’s just a recovery of our common humanity,” he said. “We profess that we are made in the image of God, and we have to be able to see that image imprinted in everybody.”

The coalition is also in the process of launching a health fair in the local community. Harrell said the health fair, tentatively scheduled for April, will be discussed during an upcoming meeting of the group.

For more information about the coalition, visit St. Luke Lutheran Church at www.storyofgod.org.