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Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with acts of service
January 11, 2016 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dedicated his life to the realization of God’s beloved community, where every person would have access to the basic necessities of life and have unfettered opportunity to reach their fullest potential. He further believed everyone could and should play a role in making this bold dream a reality. He championed the responsibility and value of service.
“Everyone can be great because everybody can serve,” he said.
In 1983, a bill was signed into law in the United States that honors Rev. King’s achievements and vision by making the third Monday in January – the date closest to his birthday – a federal holiday. Just over a decade later, then-President Bill Clinton took that a step further with his signature on legislation designated this holiday as a national Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
Monday, Jan. 18 marks this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. Many members of the Upper New York Conference – either through their local church or other community organizations – will honor Dr. King that day by cleaning up neighborhood parks, handing out canned goods at community food pantries, writing letters to members of Congress and state legislators among a myriad of other acts of service. Click here for ideas and local connections.
In addition to the direct service done that day, Conference members are invited to offer their future service to the Church through the Conference. To accomplish this, members are asked to complete an online nomination form indicating how they might like to serve in the Conference in the coming quadrennium (2016-2020). Click here to access and complete the form. Members of every local church are encouraged to complete this form and offer themselves for service.
“Please prayerfully consider this opportunity,” notes the Conference Committee on Nominations and Leadership Development. The nominations form will help that committee to better “understand your gifts and graces so that Christ’s light will shine and you will grow as a spiritual leader in our ministry together.”