Union African Methodist Episcopal Church celebrates Martin Luther King Jr.
Although his work remains unfinished, King’s message still resonates WARWICK Members of the Warwick United African Methodist Episcopal Church and guests from throughout the Warwick community celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 16, with prayer, with song and in words that evoked the civil rights leader. Rev. David Crumpton, pastor, Rev. Theresa Meli, and members of the church sponsored the event. Everyone was gathered to honor the memory of Dr. King, the world famous civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner who was assassinated in 1968. Following the reading of the Litany by Rev. Stephen Offringa, pastor of Howels Church in Howels and a selection of readings by Rev. Bruce Barnard Sr., pastor of the Warwick Valley Church of the Nazarene, young children from the Union Youth Ministry took turns offering tributes to Dr. King. 'To your left ... right ... behind you...’ Justin Kirton, a high school senior in the Monroe-Woodbury School District, gave an impressive talk on Dr. King’s famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” Although the young man admitted Dr. King’s goals were not universally reached, he said the Warwick community was united. “Just look to your left,” said Kirton. “Look to your right or behind you and you will see people of mixed backgrounds. You can feel love here in Warwick.” Guests, who also gave short presentations, included Town of Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton, Mayor Michael Newhard, Judge Nancy D’Angelo, Judge Peter Barlet, attorney Doug Stage and Cedric Glasper, president and CEO of Mechanical Rubber as well as president of the Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce. The UAME Tabernacle Choir and the Praise Team for the Church of the Nazarene helped to make this a memorable occasion. Crumpton then introduced guest speaker Rev. Patricia McLeod, former acting superintendent of the Middletown School District and the founder and CEO of Promise land Enterprises, LLC, and dean of programs for the Beth Rapha Bible Institute. McLeod gave a moving talk in which she stressed that like Martin Luther King, everyone has a purpose in life that comes from our Creator. “Life without a God-given purpose,” she said, “is meaningless.” In their own words “I cannot forget that the Nobel Prize for Peace was also a commission - a commission to work harder than I worked before for the brotherhood of man.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Dr. King can be summed up in one word, love. There is no room in this world for hate.” Doug Stage “Let us hope that our current leaders can reflect on Dr. King’s legacy and do the right thing.” Town of Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton “Truth, when planted, grows. And as every gardener knows, vigilance is the only way to keep a garden weed free.” Warwick Mayor Michael Newhard “The spirit of entitlement should not proceed because of what happened a long time ago. That day is gone. It’s time to get past it.” Rev. Patricia McLeod