What is the best way to honor the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther
King? How would the civil rights leader, activist and clergyman want
people to remember him?
In 1994, the United States Congress
answered that question when it passed the King Holiday and Service Act,
designating the third Monday in January as a national Day of Service.
The Act asked
Americans to see the day not just as time off from work
or school, but as an opportunity to honor King’s legacy by taking part
in community service projects. In short, they were asked to “make it a
day on, not a day off.”
On January 20, 2014 millions of Americans
across the country — including many Episcopalians -- will conduct food
drives, paint schools and community centers, recruit mentors for needy
youth, and bring meals to homebound neighbors, among many other
projects. The
King Day of Service brings together people who might not ordinarily
meet, breaks down barriers, leads to better understanding and ongoing
relationships, and gives organizations an opportunity to recruit new
volunteers for their work. Participation in the King Day of Service has
grown steadily over the past decade, with hundreds of thousands of
Americans each year engaging in projects. Episcopal congregations
throughout the nation will take part this year in the Day of Service,
many of them in cooperation with other churches and community
organizations.
Information and photos from the Corporation for National Community Service. (from Episcopal News Service]
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Almighty
God, by the hand of Moses your servant you led your people out of
slavery, and made them free at last; Grant that your Church, following
the example of your prophet Martin Luther King, may resist oppression in
the name of your love, and may secure for all your children the blessed
liberty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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