CRC Follows the Legacy of King

The Christian Reformed Church’s Office of Race Relations and World Renew, the denomination’s disaster-relief and development agency, celebrated this week the life and legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in song, praise and prayer for the slain civil rights leader.

As part of the first chapel of 2013 in the Grand Rapids, Mich. office of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC), Rev. Esteban Lugo, director of the Office of Race Relations, strummed his guitar to accompany an opening and a closing song.

He also asked members of the CRC to participate this year in three emancipation “Days of Respect”—one focusing on unity, another on respect and another on remembrance—which honor the message and memory of King and that of other civil rights leaders.

“These days have been established to promote unity, respect and remembrance for those who have struggled and sacrificed to help change America’s unjust laws of racial segregation, as well show support and solidarity with victims of slavery and violence,” said Lugo.

The “Days of Respect” have been promoted by the Chicago-based Global Committee Commemorating King Days of Respect for several years.

During the chapel, people read prayers focusing on these attributes, calling for respect for human beings and unity among all people.

They also read in unison portions of King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, given on Aug. 18, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

During the entire chapel, a PowerPoint presentation showing photos of other civil rights leaders ran on a screen set up in the room.

These included a photo of Rabbi Abraham Heschel, a renowned Jewish scholar who believed that the teachings of the Hebrew prophets called for social action in the United States on such issues as black civil rights.

Also among those pictured was Peterson Zah, an advocate for Native American rights; Dolores Huerta, a labor and civil rights activist; Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian leader who promoted change through non-violence; and Rosa Parks, who became known for refusing to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Ala.

Lugo said it was appropriate for the CRC to honor King and the others in this first chapel since “we are among those who also help to champion the cause of civil rights.”

During the chapel, Lugo said he hopes to see the CRC celebrate unity, respect and remembrance as part the “Days of Respect” in 2013.

These days are:

• Jan. 15, which is Humanitarian Day and also King’s birthday.
• April 4, which is the Victims of Violence Holy Day and the anniversary of King’s death.
• Aug. 28, which will be “Dream Day Quest and Jubilee” day and commemorates the anniversary of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

These days can help remind those in the CRC to follow the example of King and remain committed to seeking “justice, equality, and freedom for all people regardless of the color of their skin or station in life,” said Lugo.

“All of these qualities were clearly visible in his (King’s) life and work. These qualities are part of human dignity and need to be pursued by all.”