Houses of worship honor MLK's life and legacy with holiday events

Carla Hinton, Oklahoman
·2 min read

From a program addressing racism in church to an annual event presented by a Jewish temple and the NAACP, metro-area houses of worship will offer special activities on and around the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday.

One of the newest events is a "Community-wide MLK Worship Service" is being offered by the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church's Multi-Ethnic Initiative.

The Rev. Bessie Hamilton said the service's theme is "Shattering the Stained Glass Windows: Restoring a Prophetic Vision," with the Rev. Vance Ross, a prominent African American preacher and leader in the United Methodist denomination serving as guest speaker. The service is set for 3 p.m. Monday at Quayle United Methodist Church, 5001 N Everest. Ross is senior pastor of Central United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.

Bessie Hamilton
Bessie Hamilton

Hamilton serves as co-pastor of Quayle with her husband Elvyn, and is also assistant director of Connectional Ministries for the Oklahoma Methodist Conference's Multi-Ethnic Initiatives. She said she came up with the idea for the holiday service that will include discussion of how to "shatter the stained glass window" of racism in the United Methodist Church, the ecumenical community and the community at large.

"He's very bold and unapologetic," Hamilton said of Ross.

A panel discussion is held during the 2019 OKC Martin Luther King Holiday Program at St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Oklahoma City.
A panel discussion is held during the 2019 OKC Martin Luther King Holiday Program at St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Oklahoma City.

"There is an energy and excitement that he has in addressing system around the United Methodist Church and he just has a heart for the community."

Hamilton said Monday's service is just another component of the Multi-Ethnic Initiatives and its mission to explore topics important to United Methodist ministers who are African American, Hispanic and Asian, and the people they serve.

She said the Multi-Ethnic Initiatives also offers a magazine and a series of videos featuring ministers. A webinar featuring four African American pastors discussing topics like racism will be on Feb. 1.

Editor's note: The Midwest City Martin Luther King Prayer Breakfast originally planned for 7 a.m. Monday has been postponed to June.

Here is a list of local holiday events planned by houses of worship:

•St. John Missionary Baptist Church, 5700 N Kelley, Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Program, 3 p.m. Sunday, theme is "Challenges Beyond the Dream," with the Rev. DeSean A. Jarrett, pastor-teacher of New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Tulsa, as guest speaker.

Sen. George Young, an ordained Baptist minister, preaches during the virtual 2021 Annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration Program at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Oklahoma City.
Sen. George Young, an ordained Baptist minister, preaches during the virtual 2021 Annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration Program at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Oklahoma City.

•Temple B'nai Israel, 4901 N Pennsylvania, virtual Cross Culture Program "One Mic, One Voice," 6 p.m. Sunday via livestream, Angela Monson will be guest speaker. For a link to the virtual program, go to the temple's website at https://thetempleokc.shulcloud.com/.

•St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, 127 NW 7, OKC Martin Luther King Holiday Program, 12:15 p.m. Monday, Rev. Michael McDaniel, senior pastor of Northeast Missionary Baptist Church, will be keynote speaker.

•Quayle United Methodist Church, 5001 N Everest, "Shattering the Stained Glass Window," 3 p.m. Monday.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Houses of worship will honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and legacy with holiday events