Several events to celebrate M.L. King holiday
January 16, 2011
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
By GWEN SISSON
sdnlife@bellsouth.net
Events celebrating the life and times of slain civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. will begin tonight with a special worship service.
Sponsored by the Oktibbeha County chapter of the NAACP, the special worship service — following the theme “Look Where the Lord has Brought Us From” — will be held at Aldersgate United Methodist Church at 7 p.m. today.
The Rev. Tyrone Stallings, president of the NAACP chapter, said the worship service will be about “celebrating unity,” with the hope of having a more integrated worship experience.
The guest speaker for tonight’s worship service will be the Rev. Lee Brand Jr., pastor of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. Entertainment will be provided by the Bethel M.B. Mass Choir.
Other events set for Monday’s King holiday include,
• The annual King Day Unity Breakfast will be held at 7 a.m. Monday in the Foster Ballroom on the second floor of the Colvard Student Union on the Mississippi State University campus.
Free breakfast will be served beginning at 7 a.m., with the program beginning at 8 a.m. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Dolphus Weary, president emeritus for Mission Mississippi. The Unity Breakfast is co-sponsored by the MSU President’s Office and the MSU Office Diversity and Equity Programs.
• The King Day of Service will be held Monday, sponsored by Volunteer Starkville.
Members of public is invited to volunteer their efforts into cleaning two non-profit organizations, the Palmer Home Thrift Store and the new OSERVS (Oktibbeha-Starkville Emergency Response Volunteer Services) building.
Volunteers will also work at The Pines Mobile Home Park as part of the continuing cleanup from the tornado that struck the park last month.
Volunteers are encouraged to choose which site they would like to work at and pick a time that works best for them. Free T-shirts will be given to all volunteers for their help. To sign up, visit http://www.volunteerstarkville.org or call (662) 546-0484.
• The Starkville/Oktibbeha County King Day March will begin at 1:30 p.m. starting at the north end of Dr. Douglas Conner Drive crossing Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. Drive/Highway 182 and continuing south on Conner Drive to the Courthouse Annex, where the annual King Day Rally will be held.
For more information about the annual march and rally, contact Stallings at 312-2623.
