People

33rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration

By Jennifer Bruse | January 17, 2022

The 33rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration was held on Monday, January 17, 2022 at noon at The Woodlands Methodist Church.

The annual free public celebration is a longtime event that was started by Impact Church of The Woodlands and is still hosted by the church today every year at The Woodlands Methodist Church. The 2022 theme was “Reclaiming The Dream.”

View photos from the event taken by Rod Prado from Hello Woodlands on in the Facebook album here.

In the program, Dr. Jesse Tyson led the master of ceremonies, Rev. Mark Sorensen, Senior Pastor of The Woodlands Methodist Church, gave the invocation, Rev. Frankie Mazzapica presented a commemorative tribute, and Dr. Roche Coleman, Senior Pastor of Impact Church of The Woodlands, gave the benediction.

Special performances during the program were made by the MLK Youth Mass Choir directed by Cassie Rivea, Resound Special Needs Ministry Choir directed by Chris Robbins, and MLK Adult Mass Choir directed by Dr. Don Barrick. The Oak Ridge High School Air Force Junior ROTC led the posting of the colors.

During the commemorative tribute,Frankie Mazzapica, Senior Pastor of Celebration Church of The Woodlands, shared a moving message inspired by this year’s theme, “Reclaiming The Dream.”

A Virtual Presentation of the 2021 Scholarship Recipients and the Drum Major Award was presented following the Commemorative Tribute. The title of the Drum Major award is derived from a sermon given by Dr. King in February 1968, in which he referred to a 20th century notion of greatness – the innate human need for recognition, the desire for distinction – calling this impulse the Drum Major instinct. Dr. King shared, “If you want to say that I was a Drum Major, say that I was a Drum Major for justice; say that I was a Drum Major for peace; I was a Drum Major for righteousness.” The Drum Major Award is presented to recognize a woman, man, business, or organization in Montgomery County whose life or work best exemplify the ideals of being a “Drum Major.”

The Scholarship sponsors included the Howard Hughes Corporation, The McKee Family Foundation, Elsa and Jimmie Dotson, TME Enterprises, and Woodforest National Bank.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration committee included the committee chair Cheryl Tyson and committee members Bernadine Davis, Wanda Davis, Elsa Dotson, and William O’Neal.

View photos from the event on the Hello Woodlands Facebook page!