Mansfield celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. with ecumenical service

The Mansfield Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a service held Sunday at Maddox Memorial Church of God.

The service honored Dr. King in different ways. Aaron Williams, Jr., who welcomed people, explained that he and his wife had recently visited the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, which is where Dr. King was assassinated on April 8, 1968.

The praise dance team Jesus Jewels from Shiloh Baptist Church performed and Shia Puckett of Grace Episcopal Church read the poem by Amanda Gorman from the January 2021 inauguration of President Joe Biden.

The Mansfield Community Choir performed a number of song selections.

The message of the day came from Chaplain Dave Matos of Hospice NCO Ohio.

Matos, who was born four days before Dr. King was assassinated, said he believes Dr. King was "one of the great leaders in American history."

Matos, who is Latino and from Puerto Rico, mentioned how Dr. King embraced the Latino community during his time and how his influence trickles down to the present where Ohio has become a destination for more Latinos. "The Latino community was blessed by the work of Dr. King and he reached out to the community. He was friends with Roberto Clemente (former great baseball player) and Caesar Chavez (civil rights, Latino and farm labor leader)."

Matos talked about how Dr. King was arrested 29 times for pushing the message of equality. He talked about how he inspired many of the great athletes that played or came from the state of Ohio such as LeBron James, Archie Griffin and Jim Brown. He discussed how his influence translated to the military, where there are more minorities today than in King's era.

Matos cited a famous quote from Dr. King.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that," he read. "Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

A part of Matos' work as a chaplain involves going into prisons, working with children and families, and going to drug rehabilitation facilities in Mansfield, Marion and Mount Vernon. "You got to advocate for those in needs," said Matos.

"It's been 50 years since Dr. King's death. We still mourn over his death," Matos said, towards the end of his speech. "We must continue to fight for justice for those who are discriminated and those of all backgrounds of our society."

jsimpson@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Martin Luther King Jr. honored in ceremony at Maddox Memorial Church