Category Archives: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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The King Center Gears Up for the 51st Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Commemorative Service…

Hello World,

Aside from Christmas and Easter, one of my favorite holidays is the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday which the country if not the world will celebrate tomorrow. All over the country, there will be events celebrating the life and legacy of the great civil rights leader but no place celebrates Dr. King like his hometown here in the A. I believe the highlight of the celebratory events in Atlanta is the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Commemorative Service which is held in Dr. King’s home church of Ebenezer Baptist Church in the Horizon Sanctuary. Below is the schedule for the service which has and continues to include dignitaries from all over the globe.

Keynote Speaker: 
Mr. Bryan Stevenson
Founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative
Featured speakers delivering special tributes:
Emma Gonzalez, activist, advocate, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Ms. Britney Packnett, Activist, Educator, Writer
Rev. Jentezen Franklin, Senior Pastor, Free Chapel Worship Center
Rev. Dr. Billy Kim, Former President, Baptist World Alliance
Samia Nkrumah, (Daughter of Kwame Nkrumah, First
President of Ghana) will bring the international greeting
Special Musical Performances:
Minister BeBe Winans, Multi-Grammy Award Winning Artist
Minister Angella Christie, Gospel Saxophonist
Jahi Di’Allo and Daiyann Winston, Singer, Actor, Stage Performers
Far East Broadcasting Children Choir, (Korean Christian Choir)
Rapper Ray Emmanuel, Youth Artist

To find out more information about how the King Center is celebrating the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday, click on thekingcenter.org.

Also, due to the government shutdown the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park was supposed to be closed tomorrow as the National Park Service maintains the park. However, due to a grant from Delta Air Lines and other funds, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park opened on Saturday and will remain open throughout the Super Bowl which will be held in Atlanta on Feb. 3!

In a statement, Delta CEO and trustee of the Delta Air Lines Foundation Ed Bastian said the group “felt it was important we do our part to ensure that the historical landmarks be accessible to the public.”

“Dr. King was about bringing people together and at Delta, we are about making the world a smaller place,” he added.

To read the entire story, click on the CNN story “MLK national park will reopen during government shutdown with help of Delta Air Lines” by Nicole Chavez.

How will you be celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. King tomorrow?

Any thoughts?

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New Birth Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Dr. Jamal Bryant & Members Give Approximately $300 Each to Members Affected By Government Shutdown…

Hello World,

As this is the Government Shutdown, the longest one in history, continues, many federal workers are in need of cash plain and simple. But thankfully, many churches and other benevolent organizations and people are stepping up and giving money to federal workers in need.

Tom Jones of WSB-TV reported that New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, led by its new pastor Dr. Jamal Bryant, in Lithonia, Georgia is helping fellow members whose paychecks have been affected by the Government Shutdown. See the video for yourself:

To read the story, click on THIS LINK!

In addition to New Birth, other metro Atlanta churches are helping members affected by the government shutdown. Check out an excerpt of this article from the AJC below:

On Sunday, the Rev. Wilbur Purvis asked how many members of his congregation were affected by the partial government shutdown.

Several raised their hands.

The pastor of Destiny World Church in Austell prayed for them, but something in his heart told him to do more.

A few days later, he handed out $500 checks to five people.

To read the entire article, click on “Atlanta Churches, Faith Groups Help Furloughed Federal Workers” by Shelia M. Poole & Janel Davis.

Here in Atlanta, the government shutdown has also affected how the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, Jan. 21 will be celebrated as National Park Service employees have been furloughed. The service runs the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, which is now closed. Had Dr. King lived, he would have been 90 years old yesterday. His youngest daughter Dr. Bernice King nearly choked up talking about the absence of National Park Service.

All that being said, you don’t have to be a member of a megachurch or a King to have compassion on federal workers affected by the Government Shutdown, one of my FB friends said he slipped a TSA member some cash at the airport. I bet that simple gesture was appreciated…

Any thoughts?

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Bebe Winans, Angie Stone & More Join Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Hosting Election Eve Prayer Rally!

Hello World,

Can you believe it? There are only two months left in 2018! But if you’re still hoping, wishing and praying for something to change before the year is over as I am, God says in 2 Peter 3:8 that “with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” In other words, He sees time differently than we do and anything can change in an instant. It’s hard work having faith sometimes, but it’s worth it in the end.

Speaking of time, last month I pretty much only focused on OWN “Greenleaf” recaps in October, but now that I’ve met a writing deadline, I will be posting about twice a week unless life happens. Y’all know how that is. And for my new subscribers who read my recap each week, I hope you like my other content as well 🙂

So all of that aside and on to the topic of today’s post. Unless you don’t watch TV at all, you probably know that Election Day is THIS Tuesday! And if you didn’t vote early, Tuesday is the day to vote! I’m not sure where you live, but where I live, we have some pretty big issues to address in Tuesday’s election! And I’m proud to say that the first black woman to be the nominee of a major party for governor, Stacey Abrams, who is also PK as I am, is on the ballot! I won’t tell you whom to vote for, but I do think it’s important to vote!

Tomorrow night, Ebenezer Baptist Church, the church of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is hosting an Election Eve Prayer Rally at 7 p.m. My father, pastor emeritus of Central Christian Church in Atlanta, likes to use this quote by Alfred Lord Tennyson in his sermons about prayer:  “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.” I truly believe that, and if that quote is too “high post” for you, this quote will do: “Prayer changes things.” I don’t know who said that first, but it is true…

Among luminaries who will be there include: Bebe Winans (uncle of Deborah Joy Winans who portrays Charity on OWN’s “Greenleaf”), Angie Stone, Congressman John Lewis and the Rev. Dr. William Barber II. The church is located at 101 Jackson St NE, Atlanta, GA 30312, but if you cannot make it, check out the church’s website for the livestream.

Also, Dr. Raphael G. Warnock, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, wrote a piece “Here Are the Chilling Tricks We’ve Caught Georgia Using to Disqualify Voters” for The Washington Post about voting issues here in Georgia. Here is an excerpt below:

A young woman learned her name was no longer on the voter rolls in Georgia. Ironically, she discovered this while training as a canvasser for new voters. Since registering and casting her first ballot in 2008, she hadn’t returned to the polls, and under the new “use it or lose it” rule, the system purged her registration.

A dentist in Macon received a letter from the secretary of state, warning him that he was at risk of being labeled an “inactive voter” for changing addresses, not voting or not responding to election-related mail. None of that was true, he said: He’d participated in every Georgia election in the past 40 years and had lived in his home for 30.

To read the entire piece, go to washingtonpost.com.

So my final plea on this Sunday, please VOTE!

Happy Sunday!

Any thoughts?