DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.’S BIRTHDAY
(BELOVED COMMUNITY DAY)

MUSIC & WORSHIP RESOURCES

Monday, January 17, 2011

Cecilia Olusola Tribble, Guest Lectionary Liturgist
Master of Theological Studies Student, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Worship Planning Notes

January 17, 2011 will mark the 25th anniversary of the Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday.

1. Incorporate the 2011 Theme: “Remember, Celebrate, Act—A Day On, Not a Day Off” into your worship planning and materials.

2. Plan a “working” MLK Community Day Worship Service. As a prelude to or extension of your worship service, have the whole congregation form small groups to do various community projects. View the link http://mlkday.gov/ to identify local projects that can have a lasting impact in your church community, or your church may choose to develop its own project and register it/them so that other volunteers can find it.  From this same link, you can find Action Guides for various types of service projects including: Environmental, Stewardship, Disaster Relief, Economic Opportunity, Education, Health, and Veterans and Military Families. http://mlkday.gov/plan/actionguides/floorplan.php

3. Plan a service that is:

   • Ecumenical – Invite other faith communities to participate. Divide the readings or other service elements with people from various denominations. Read the Gospel in different languages. Each year host the service at a different church if feasible.

   • EXAMPLE:
     For more than 10 years, Temple B'nai Israel in Oklahoma City has hosted a commemorative service on the Sunday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, along with the local chapter of the NAACP. Every year the arrangements committee, led by the President of the NAACP and the Rabbi, selects a church choir, local musical group, or soloist to perform at the synagogue, along with a speaker who has had a positive impact upon the African American community or on Black/Jewish relations. Following the main program, the entire group breaks into smaller groups to discuss the theme.

   • Visible to your local and surrounding communities – This is an excellent opportunity for marketing. Promote your event as a community service. Service can be a catalyst to forming a good working relationship with other denominations. Include local leadership and community activists.

   • Welcoming to Seekers and Non-Churched – This is an excellent time to reinforce to the community who the Church is and that you care about your neighbors.

4. Host a Community Meal

   • In conjunction with your service project, host a community meal. At the community meal, seat people family style with the elders at the head of the table. Each table or “family” can trade stories about firsthand racial or gender injustice that they faced. Also talk about possible solutions or ways of resistance for current community issues.

*The spoken word selection that accompanies today’s material is titled “Someday We’ll All Be Free/Psalm 78.” By Raphael Warnock with Jennifer Holiday.  Goodness and Mercy. INDIE. 2010. Available at http://www.raphaelwarnock.com

1. Instrumental Prelude, Spoken or Sung Call to Worship, or Litany
Instrumental Prelude
(a) Oh, Freedom. Spiritual. Have someone in your congregation play this selection with an instrument.

Spoken Call to Worship
(b) Psalm 129.

(c) Who Will Give Testimony? By Stacey Cole Wilson

Choral Call to Worship
(d) Come Sunday. By Duke Ellington. Arr. by Paris Rutherford

(e) Freedom Medley: Oh, Freedom and Freedom Is Coming. Spiritual and South African Freedom Song

2. Hymns and Congregational Songs
(a) Great Is Thy Faithfulness. By Thomas O. Chisholm and William M. Runyan

(b) Living in the Imagination of God. By Cecilia Olusola Tribble

(c) We’ve Come This Far by Faith. By Albert A. Goodson

3. Spirituals or Traditional Songs
(a) Walk Together Children! Arr. by Ken Berg

(b) Go Down, Moses. Spiritual

(c) I Want Jesus to Walk with Me. Spiritual

(d) Bringing It Back Home Medley. Arr. by Leo Davis

(e) Let God Arise (and His Enemies Be Scattered). Arr. by Kurt Carr

4. Gospel Songs for Choirs, Ensembles, or Praise Teams
(a) Lion of Judah. By Beverly Crawford

(b) I Will Bless the Lord. By Andraé Crouch

(c) I Wouldn’t Know You. By James Fortune

(d) I Can’t Hold It. By Byron Cage

5. Liturgical Dance Music
(a) Ella’s Song. By Bernice Johnson Reagon

(b) Someday We’ll All Be Free/Psalm78. By Raphael Warnock and Jennifer Holiday.

(c) Freedom. By Charles Mingus

(d) Strange Fruit. By Billie Holiday

(e) Living for the City. By Stevie Wonder

6. Anthems
(a) May Our Work and Praise Be One. By Mark Hill

(b) If My People Will Pray with “Hear Our Prayer, O Lord.” By Jimmy Owens. Arr. by Keith Christopher

(c) He Never Failed Me Yet. By Robert Ray

(d) And I Shall Not Be Moved. By Barbara Furman and Vicki Tucker Courtney

(e) Your Faithfulness. By Ken Reynolds. Arr. by Marty Hamby

7. Modern Songs (Written between 2005–2010)
(a) I Dream. By Florence Roach

(b) Show Yourself Mighty (Show Yourself Strong). By Albert Jamison

(c) Our Generation (The Hope of the World). By John Legend

8. Offertory Song or Instrumental
(a) Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart. By Henry Smith

(b) It Don’t Have to Change. By Dave Tozer

(c) We Are Grateful. By Cheryl Boggs

9. Song or Instrumental for the Period of Prayer
(a) I Want Jesus to Walk with Me. Spiritual

(b) Precious Lord, Take My Hand. By Thomas A. Dorsey

(c) Precious Memories. By J. B. F. Wright

10. Sermonic Selection
(a) Trilogy of Dreams. By Langston Hughes. Arr. by Rollo Dilworth

(b) Freedom Train. By Rollo Dilworth

(c) His Light Still Shines. Arr. by Moses Hogan

(d) My Petition. By Vidal Davis

11. Invitational Song or Instrumental
(a) Moving Forward. By Ricardo Sanchez

(b) Better People. By India Arie

(c) Yes, Lord. By Charles H. Mason

(d) Wholly Holy. By Aretha Franklin

12. Benediction Song or Instrumental
(a) Higher Ground. By Stevie Wonder

(b) Golden. By Anthony Bell

(c) We Shall Overcome. Traditional

(d) Here I Am, Lord. By Dan Schutte

13. Audio/Video Suggestions

Audio

Martin Luther King, Jr. Sings in Memphis

Videos

1. This is a wonderful piece to show to your children and youth groups about the journey of the Chicago Children’s Choir in exploring the Civil Rights Movement. 
   
   

2. ‘A Dream’ by Common and Will.I.Am, from the film, Freedom Writers
   

3. Hang banners of the words “Remember,” “Celebrate,” and “Act.” The banners can include Scripture references with the keywords emphasized.  Here are some suggestions:

   REMEMBER:
   • Genesis 9:16 (NIV):  “I will REMEMBER the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures on earth.”
   • Exodus 33:13-14 (NIV):  “Moses said to the LORD, ‘REMEMBER that this nation is your people.”  The LORD replied, “My presence will go with you...”
   CELEBRATE:
   • Exodus 12:14 (NIV): “This is a day you are to commemorate: for the generations to come as you shall CELEBRATE it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance.”
   • Esther 9:28 (NIV): “And these days should never fail to be CELEBRATE—nor should the memory of these days die out among [our] descendants.”
   ACT:
   • Ezekiel 24:14 (NIV):  “The time has come for me to ACT, I will not hold back.”
   • Philippians 2:13 (NIV): “...It is God who works in you to will and to ACT in order to fulfill his good purpose.”



4. PowerPoint slides  - Project slides with the key words  “Remember,” “Celebrate,” and “Act.” You can incorporate civil rights/MLK images as the background on the slides (see #13 (a)), and/or the slides can include Scripture references with the keywords emphasized. 




5. Bulletin and Other Art
   Here are some downloadable art images of Martin Luther King Jr.: http://www.newsart.com/x1/x529.htm
   Newsart.com website provides art and drawings by nationally and internationally syndicated artists whose work has appeared in Newsweek, Time, Boston Globe, Washington Post, and many others of the world’s most respected publications.

14. Other Worship Suggestions

1. Have as a spoken word to play during and/or at the end of your service the song that accompanies today’s unit to specially appeal to youths. Its message reinforces today’s theme: Remember, Celebrate, Act.

2. Hold an “Open Mic” vespers service where artists can present any form of message, be it poetry, a political essay, or a call for action, around MLK and/or the theme: Remember, Celebrate, ACT. 

3. Include in your bulletin the word search puzzle for children.  See the attached puzzle developed by The African American Lectionary. Click here to download the puzzle.

4. Hold a “gospel sing” or “singspiration,” and intersperse MLK reflections with the singing. Below are several reflections by noted pastors.

   1. Reflection by Rev. Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood, Pastor Emeritus, St. Paul’s Community Baptist Church, Brooklyn, NY:
      Audio Clip: http://explorefaith.org/audio/mlk/youngblood.mp3
      
      
   2. Reflection by Gina M. Stewart, Senior Pastor, Christ Missionary Baptist Church, Memphis, TN:
      Audio Clip: http://www.explorefaith.org/audio/mlk/stewart.mp3
      
      
   3. Reflection by Rev. Dr. Frank Thomas, Senior Pastor, Mississippi Boulevard Church, Memphis, TN:
      Audio Clip: http://www.explorefaith.org/audio/mlk/thomas.mp3



5. Highlight the biography of at least one person involved in the civil rights movement (in the 60’s or today); focus on each of the key words (Remember, Celebrate, Act).  Present a brief (2-3 minutes) bio on such individuals.

6. Highlight the timeline of events leading up to the signing of the King Holiday legislation  into law.
   http://www.black-collegian.com/african/mlk/kingact101.shtml

Cites and Additional Information for Music and Materials Listed

Spoken Call to Worship
(b) Psalm 129.