hosts celebration of
civil rights leader
Second Baptist Church
hosts celebration of
civil rights leader’s life
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer
The Rev. Dr. Andre McGuire, pastor of the Second Baptist Church, gives a blessing during the service.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. may no longer walk this Earth, but his spirit, his ideals and his faith in the humanity of all men and women are alive in Freehold.
A program honoring King was held at the Second Baptist Church, Throckmorton Street, on Jan. 19, the federal holiday set aside to honor his memory.
The Rev. Dr. Andre McGuire, pastor, welcomed those who attended the community observance, which was sponsored by the Freehold Clergy Association, the NAACP Freehold Chapter and the United Black Families of Freehold.
McGuire told the guests God can do all things and said people must continue to bring civil equality among each other.
"There is power in unity," he said, asking those present to hold hands as he recited a prayer which thanked God for King and all those who have given of themselves to work for such a cause.
King, who was born Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Ga., was a leader of the civil rights movement in the United States in the 1960s. He is best recalled for a speech he delivered in Washington, D.C., in 1963 which included the words, "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
King was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., in April 1968 while helping striking sanitation workers in that city.
The service at the Second Baptist Church began with everyone singing "Lift Every Voice," an inspirational gospel hymn. One visual sweep of those singing the hymn in the audience would prompt one to realize that King’s hopes and dreams were realized in this church, on this day in Freehold.
Clergy members representing many different faiths came together at the Second Baptist Church, Freehold, on Jan. 19 to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Sister Claire McNichol of St. Rose of Lima Church, Freehold, told the audience, "We praise the Lord for sending us a man of peace who resisted tyranny, a man of nonviolence who fought for liberty, a man of God who worked for people."
She expressed thanks for King, "who inspired us with his dream, who walked in our lives and our hearts with his marches for justice and who demanded freedom with great courage in the face of grave danger." She thanked God for his "noble legacy."
The Rev. Richard Milewski, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church, gave the Litany of Commemoration.
"Martin Luther King envisioned the ultimate freedom: the freedom achieved in struggle, the freedom reached in brotherhood, the freedom fired by the dream of a man, the freedom inspired by the lot of a people, the freedom free of hate, the freedom full of love," the reverend prayed.
Janet Freeman, pianist and member of the A.M.E. Bethel Church, Freehold Township, sings with members of the Second Baptist Church to honor the life of Martin Luther King Jr.
In response, the audience said, "In the name of the Lord, let my people go."
The program continued with the Bethel AME Church, Freehold Township, men’s choir which sang "Order My Steps." Many in the audience joined along.
Minister Evelyn Hines, who officiates at the Second Baptist Church, then referred to King’s "dreams of freedom."
"I have a dream that one day," Hines began, restating King’s words, "even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
PHOTOS BY MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Charlease Hatchett and son James Harold Hatchett IV of Marlboro participate in a gospel hymn during the Martin Luther King Jr. day celebration at the Second Baptist Church, Freehold.
"Let freedom ring," Hines said with emotion. "King wished for a nation where blacks and whites, Jews and gentiles, Protestants and Catholics would be able to join hands and sing in the words of the Negro spiritual, ‘Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we’re free at last.’ "
After Hines’ reading, the church became alive with the sound of a gospel rock version of "Lord, You are God." It was impossible not to move to the upbeat tempo and resonant voices of the Second Baptist Choir.
Readings continued with the Rev. Cynthia Bowman, co-pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Freehold, who announced good-naturedly as she reached the pulpit, "And I’m supposed to follow that?"
The reverend announced that there were representatives from different faiths who came to celebrate and come together in unity "for the common good of all humanity."
Fatima Jaffari read from the Koran and told everyone the day was a celebration of the life of a great man who stood for peace.
Rabbi Brooks Susman of Congregation Kol Am, Freehold area, and the Rev. Patricia Medley, pastor of the Hope Lutheran Church, Freehold Township, also came to pay tribute to King.
The Rev. Dr. J. Francis Watson, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Freehold, paid tribute to King by playing his version of "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes, the sound of which filled the church, moving and inspiring those in attendance.The Rev. Edward M. Jawidzik of St. Robert Bellarmine Church, Freehold Township, introduced the day’s keynote speaker, the Rev. Brian McCormick. Jawidzik said McCormick was sent to Martin House in Trenton in 1970. At that time it was a struggling ministry, trying desperately to provide decent housing for Trenton’s poorest residents.
"Brian essentially brought it up to what it is today," Jawidzik said, noting that, as the director of Martin House, McCormick has succeeded in having hundreds of homes rehabilitated in the area. Under McCormick’s direction, Martin House now has an educational center and a day care center staffed by volunteers.
"It’s his life’s work," Jawidzik said.
McCormick began his remarks by calling King a "modern-day prophet."
"Martin Luther King calls on us to live in the real world as it is, with resilience of spirit. History is an issue here, as is the realization that every one of you lives with resilience of spirit. We call this integrity. Martin Luther King was a brilliant light who gave us clarity," McCormick said.
He said, "The greatest thing that can happen today is when an opportunity is offered to us to do God’s work and we don’t back down."
McCormick referred to the 1980s when, he said, "we began to give up the vision (King’s vision) to get secular benefits." He said the United States got caught up in materialism. The culture has changed since the 1980s, but he said this mission, this "vision," has now been "passed on to you to make a difference."
He called for everyone to give up some luxuries so that people who have nothing can have something.
"We had one Martin Luther King to be our example," McCormick said. "He showed us how to live in our own house as he did in his."
McCormick said the greatest gift King’s parents gave their son was their vision of freedom and the example of the way they lived their own lives.
"If you don’t have it, you can’t give it," he said. "We adults need to grow up and see this thing thorough together. King lived up to his dream and carried it out. You are called upon to continue his work."
The service also included a liturgical dance performed by sisters Tiffany, 12, Taylor, 10, Tiara, 9 and Triniti Barron, 5. In a combination of ballet and modern dance, the girls moved to the music of "It Doesn’t Matter What Color Your Skin Is As Long As Your Blood Is Red." The girls paid tribute to King in their own way and received a resounding roar of applause when they completed their dance.
Concluding prayers for peace were offered by Jawidzik and Rabbi Melinda Panken of Temple Shaari Emeth, Manalapan.
In a subsequent conversation with Jawidzik, the reverend said he was pleased to participate in the interfaith observance for King. He remarked that a recent trend of bringing different faiths together at certain services is "more the way God would want it to be."
"I believe there is no such thing as race," the reverend said. "We are all members of the human race."