Martin Luther King, Jr. Honored As Preacher, Believer
On the birthday of one of the most famous leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King, Jr. was remembered by a Los Angeles African-American church as a preacher and believer first and foremost.
ANAHEIM, Calif. - Slain Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. was honored as a preacher and believer by an African American church leader in Los Angeles on Monday.
The third annual Dr. Martin Luther King program hosted by Mount Zion Baptist Church in Anaheim commemorated the birth of a great preacher and a man who loved the people. King was honored by Mount Zion church on Jan. 16 for his faith and integrity, which were instrumental in the development of his non-violent strategies for social change.
“We come this day to remember the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” Rev. Clyde Lewis, pastor-teacher of Mount Zion Baptist Church, said. “One thing we have to agree today is that King was a preacher. Many can say that he was a great civil rights leader, but before that he was a preacher, and before that a believer. And he loved the people,” Lewis said amidst “amens” and “hallelujahs.”
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Martin Luther King, Jr. - the third generation of pastors in his family- used his religious beliefs to promote non-violence and racial equality in the 1950’s and 1960’s. He was a Nobel Peace Prize winner and led some of the most historically important events in American history.
However, the church remembers King as a preacher, believer, and a man who loved the people. His love and passionate struggle to gain equality for black Americans left a legacy that continues to inspire all Americans to this day to care about justice and equality for all.
“I tell you my brothers and sisters, we must be concern about people. People must be our passion. People must be our priority,” Lewis declared. “We still have racial discrimination, teenage pregnancy, high school dropouts. Look at the statistics – African-Americans are still at the bottom. We have to admit today we are still not free.”
The pastor-teacher of Mount Zion church listed recent racial issues such as police brutality in New Orleans following the hurricanes and the high number of African-Americans in prisons as reasons why “we [African-Americans] are not free.”
Lewis concluded, “We must continue to dream and stand on the dream of King. We must continue to dream that one day we will not be judged by the color of our skin but by the content of our character.
“As we praise the Lord today let us remember that King was a preacher, he preached the Gospel and he loved the people. We must remember that and serve the people of this world.”
