Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1200399
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 15-21, 2020 UCW 15 COVER STORY Martin Luther King Jr. prayer breakfast set for Jan. 20 by DR. SHANESSA FENNER The Fayettev ille Cumberland Count y Ministerial Coun- cil presents t he 27t h A nnual Martin Lut her K ing Jr. Prayer Break fast Monday, Jan. 20, from 8-10 a.m., at t he Crow n Exposi- tion Center. The t heme t his year is "Seize t he Moment: A New Season." "This is t he 27t h year of t he Ministerial Council spon- soring t his event, and it has become somewhat iconic in t he cit y," said Dr. Ma x ie Dobson, president of t he Fayettev ille Cumberland Count y Ministe- rial Council. "We have t he level of sustained support communi- t y-w ise t hat we do, and I t hink t hat speaks to our communit y, (which) appreciates t he legacy of Dr. Martin Lut her K ing and what he stood for, which are t he principles we espouse." Dobson added t hat's why t he celebration is so well sup- ported and probably one of t he most popular events in terms of attendance in our cit y on an annual basis, and t he event organizers are grateful for t he support. "We w ill have a great speak- er, Bishop Kennet h Monroe … of Eastern Nort h Carolina Dis- trict A. M. E. Zion Church body, for t he event t his year. … A nd we are look ing for ward to him speak ing under t he t heme, as t here is a lot of excitement of him being a part of t he program," said Dobson. "It is a time to not only celebrate but to re- f lect as we look at t he t heme t hat t he organiza- tion has selected. … It somewhat speaks to if, in past times, opportunities have not been given attention, what you would have liked to (do). "We can look at where we are now and ex- amine ourselves and ask, 'what is it can I do to contribute to my communit y?' So, it's in t hat context t hat we chose t he specif ic t heme for t he 2020 break fast." One of t he t hings t hat is being done t his year t hat is different is t he expansion on t he t heme and engagement of t he communit y beyond t he holiday. Dobson added t hat in t he council's commu- nication to its sponsors for t he 2020 break fast included a form t hat would allow t he sponsors to select a project t hat can be engaged year- round and not make t he day of ser v ice effort just on t he MLK holiday. "Some organizations do different t hings on t hat day as a show of communit y support," said Dobson. "We want to provoke expanding t hat to select somet hing t hat can be done beyond t hat day and not necessarily ever y week, but somet hing t hat can encompass t he entire year. "We are anticipating how t hat w ill be re- ceived by t he communit y, and we have a board meeting to see what k inds of submissions t hat we have had so far," said Dobson. He continued, "That is an expansion of an element — engaging t he communit y in ser v ice t hroughout t he year to be a help and (support- ing) what t he organizations and indiv iduals choose to do. We are look ing for ward to seeing how t hat evolves." The event w ill feature break fast, entertain- ment, a speaker and an 8-year-old youngster who w ill recite speeches by Dr. Martin Lut her K ing Jr. "There's a young man who comes well recommended, and he w ill recite different speeches by Dr. K ing," said Dobson. "This w ill be a way of allow ing t he yout h to be represent- ed in t he program, and we look for ward to t his highlight. "We w ill have singers, but one of t he t hings we want to do is expedite t hings so t hat we can be completed by 10 a.m.," said Dobson. "We are ver y committed about doing t hat, so we may not have as much entertainment as we have had in some of t he prev ious years." Dobson added t hat, like prev ious years, t here w ill be music play ing while indiv iduals are eating break fast. The Fayettev ille Cumberland Count y Minis- terial Council began in 1957, and t he organiza- tion is in its 62nd year. "It was birt hed during t he civ il rights era, and it was to give attention to … (t he fact) t hat we had to be a better com- munit y," said Dobson. "They were faced w it h t hings like education, housing and t he t y pical t hings t hat many com- munities were challenged w it h during t he 50s and 60s." One of t he primar y t hings t he Council highlights is t he hard-earned right to vote and to encourage t he communit y and t he leaders of t he fait h communit y to engage t heir congregation to exercise t heir right. As a 501c3 organization, t he Council is not allowed and does not become an advocate of any particular candidate, but it is an advocate of encour- aging ever yone who is eligible to vote to go to t he polls and vote. "One of t he ot her t hings we do is to highlight oppor- tunities for nonprof its to seek funds to pursue t he commu- nit y endeavors t hat t hey have become organized to do, and t here is funding from different sources," said Dobson. "So we have t hese k inds of discus- sions at our mont hly break fast meetings, which are t he t hird Saturday of each mont h — ex- cept for t he mont hs of Januar y, June and July." One of t he primar y out- comes of t he Martin Lut her K ing Jr. break fast is to fund 10 scholarships of $1,000 each to high school students who are going to college. "We take great satisfaction in t he legacy t hat we have t here and t he number of students t hat we have been able to help over t he years," said Dobson. "I t hink t hat's one component t hat t he communit y appreciates ver y much and t hat t hey are contributing to t hat k ind of objective and we look for ward to doing t hat again in 2020." The Martin Lut her K ing Jr. Worship Ser v ice is Sunday, Jan. 19, at 5 p.m., at Covenant Love Church. The g uest speaker is Apost le A nt hony Buie, pastor of St. Joseph Miracle Rev ival Cen- ter in Red Springs, Nort h Carolina. Ticket cost for break fast is $20. The day of t he event ticket cost w ill be $25. Sponsorship levels are available for purchase. For more information or to purchase tickets, call Pastor Yvonne Hodges at 910-797-5879 or email Beverly Gibson at secretar y fccmcfay nc@ gmail.com. Visit t he website at w w w.fayettev il- lemincouncil.org for more details. The theme for this year's Martin Luther King Jr. prayer breakfast is "Seize the Moment." DR. SHANESSA FENNER, Principal, WT Brown Elementary School. Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. (910) 484-6200