The Kapa‘a United Church of Christ will host a Martin Luther King Day Interfaith Celebration Jan. 21 starting at 6:30 p.m. Located at 1315 ‘Ulu Street in Kapa‘a, just mauka of the cemetery at the Kapa‘a First Hawaiian Church, the
The Kapa‘a United Church of Christ will host a Martin Luther King Day Interfaith Celebration Jan. 21 starting at 6:30 p.m.
Located at 1315 ‘Ulu Street in Kapa‘a, just mauka of the cemetery at the Kapa‘a First Hawaiian Church, the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be remembered and celebrated with selected excerpts from his talks and essays, said Pastor Jeannie Thompson, in a release.
“Peaceful communities, peaceful lives — we all want this — peace is a common value for us all, but to achieve peace we must be willing to communicate with each other, even across different religious traditions,” Thompson said.
Martin Luther King Day is held each year on the third Monday of January, and all across the country, there will be thousands of people who will remember the slain civil rights leader by crossing racial and religious lines and coming together to support one another and to pray together for peach.
Flutist G.G. Shanley and the KUCC choir will offer a gift of music along with Pastor Rennie Mau and Gamekids. The Sacred Earth Choir will sing “Speak Truth to Power,” a song written especially for the 2012 service by local composer Ms. Shawn Carol of Kapahi.
“The phrase ‘speaking truth to power’ was coined in 1955 when the American Friends Service Committee published ‘Speak Truth to Power,’ a pamphlet which proposed a new approach to the Cold War: engagement in meaningful dialogue rather than a nuclear arms race or covert operations in each others’ countries; peaceful engagement over violence,” Thompson said. “Over the years, ‘speaking truth to power’ has become the rallying call for all people of conscience to speak out about injustice, violence, dishonesty and suffering whenever and wherever it occurs in our life together as a community, a state or a country.”
Thompson said “Speaking truth to power” is what Dr. King is remembered for to this very day. He spoke “truth to power,” but more importantly, he offered this “truth” with a deep and abiding love for those who were suffering, and also for those who were causing the suffering.
“He believed, as it is taught in all faith traditions, that the oppressor is also in need of healing and wholeness, for to oppress, to dominate and, in many cases, to tyrannize others is an outward sign of one’s own brokenness,” Thompson said. “Dr. King believed, as did others before him, that only love is capable of healing such brokenness. Only a deep and true dedication to peaceful dialog and interaction with others will make peace.”
The interfaith celebration is free and open to the public. However, there will be a free-will calabash with all of the money collected at the event being presented to a local peacemaker project, which will be announced at the event.
A reception with light pupu potluck will follow the service.
Call Thompson at 634-5321 for more information.
