Bethel AME Church Moorestown will host its inaugural community-wide Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 19.
The free event is something the church hopes to do yearly, said its secretary, Gwen Ricks-Spencer.
“All of the things that he stood for in terms of non-violence and cooperation and wanting equal rights for people really applies to everyone,” Ricks-Spencer said of King. “We just wanted to take this opportunity to remind ourselves and each other of the importance of the work that he did, and to try and find those things that we can continue to connect to and to try and live out in our everyday lives.”
The program, themed “The Journey Is Not Over,” will honor King’s legacy through music, spoken word and reflection. Mayor Quinton Law will serve as the guest speaker, offering remarks on King’s enduring impact and the continued work of justice and community engagement. The evening’s Mass Community Choir will be directed by Samuel Frisby.
“What he did existed in a moment in time,” Ricks-Spencer noted, “but it was just a moment, and there’s still more things for all of us to do and to participate in. Part of the message behind all of that (the program theme) is that everybody can play a part …
“Each of us can do one thing in our own way to reach out to someone, to make people feel included, to stand up and say, ‘I stand for things that are right in the world,’ and this just gives everybody a chance to participate.”
Ricks-Spencer hopes to see people walk away from the program not only with a sense of community – something King strived to share with everyone – but also that there’s something we can all do to continue to continue his work and realize his dreams. It may be one group of people that you see out in front fighting for things, she explained, but that diversity of thought and action benefits everyone.
“The more diverse voices you have at a table talking about a conversation, I firmly believe the better the answers that you come up with,” Ricks-Spencer observed. “From (our) own little perch, (we) look at things a certain way, whereas somebody else who’s had a different experience, different background, they come to the same table and say, ‘Have you thought about X, Y and Z?’
“And I think that ultimately opens everybody’s eyes, and it gives us better solutions to the issues that we’re facing.”
For more information on Jan. 19, contact the church at bethelamemoorestown@gmail.com or visit www.bethelamechurch-moorestownnj.org.
