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| Martin Luther King |
The lives of Martin Luther King Jr., and the biblical Moses had a lot in common, the Rev. G. Calvin McCutchen told several dozen people Sunday afternoon at a service to honor the memory of the civil rights leader who was assassinated April 4, 1968.
The annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Commemoration Society event was held at Mount Rose Baptist Church.
King and Moses were chosen by God to lead an oppressed people from bondage to freedom, said McCutchen, pastor emeritus of Mount Zion Baptist Church.
"Both died aware that their dreams for their people went beyond their lives, leaving an oppressed people with their goals unrealized."
"Some remember Martin Luther King as a civil rights advocate, others as a Baptist clergyman who was chosen by God to champion justice," McCutchen said.
"We honor Martin Luther King because he was a man compelled to follow a more difficult path. He did not take the path of least resistance. He was out of step with the spirit of his time because he heard a different drummer.
"We honor King because he was a dreamer, but more so because he was a doer. He matched his words with his actions. He never stooped down when it was time to stand up.
"Our presence here today is witness that he did not die in vain."
McCutchen said King's work is still unfinished.
"Our black males are still suffering. We need to unite and work together. God uses ordinary people, and ordinary people can be used by extraordinary ideas," he said.
Music at the event was provided by the Voices of Unity, an acapella musical group dedicated to preserving historic spirituals.
Tina Pena announced that Tom McKeon, president of Tulsa Community College, was the recipient of the MLK President's Award.
The Rev. Bill Crowell, associate pastor of Boston Avenue United Methodist Church, presented a video tribute to the recently retired Rev. Andrew D. Phillips, who founded the Martin Luther King Jr., Commemoration Society in 1979.
Sources: http://www.tulsaworld.com
