 | The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Remembered at Virginia Theological Seminary4/17/2012 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Susan Shillinglaw
Tel: 703-461-1764
Email: sshillinglaw@vts.edu
ALEXANDRIA, VA – Virginia Theological Seminary commemorated the martyrdom of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. yesterday with a series of events designed to celebrate his life, death, and legacy.
Organized by the Rev. Joseph Constant, director of Ethnic Ministries and Student Life at VTS and author of No Turning Back: the Black Presence at Virginia Theological Seminary, the commemoration began with a noon Eucharist at which the Rt. Rev. Wendell Gibbs, Jr., bishop of the Diocese of Michigan preached and celebrated.
Quoted Constant, “This event is always meaningful because of its ability to remind us of our common journey and destiny as brothers and sisters in Christ.”
In the evening, following a lively community dinner, a keynote address on “The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King among the Theologians” was given by the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas (pictured), associate professor of religion at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland.
“When all is said and done—contradictions, limitations, imperfections notwithstanding—King took a stand,” said Brown Douglas. “He took a stand to bear the cross, a stand that meant he ultimately had to die. And so it is that his stand is not that day in Washington, his legacy to us is not so much “the dream”… it’s the call to decide where we stand, where we stand in an America that has not yet realized what it means to be an American where there is justice for all. Where do we stand in this America in relation to the cross?”
The audio of both Bishop Gibbs’ sermon and Dr. Brown Douglas’ talk can be found at www.vts.edu/sermons.
“As we think about the achievement of Martin Luther King Jr.,” said the Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, dean and president of Virginia Theological Seminary, “it is our opportunity to think through the continuing journey of diversity and difference in the United States. This is important, foundational, and Gospel work.”
Founded in 1823, Virginia Theological Seminary is the largest of the 11 accredited seminaries of the Episcopal Church. The school prepares men and women for service in the Church worldwide, both as ordained and lay ministers, and offers a number of professional degree programs and diplomas. Currently, the Seminary represents more than 40 different dioceses and nine different countries, for service in the Church.
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