Photo Credit: Rod Prado, Hello WoodlandsEvents
34th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration
The 34th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration was held on Monday, January 16, 2023 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 2023 theme was “Rise Up.”
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, Jason Skaer, President & Director of Youth Development Center – Houston’s 5th Ward, gave the invocation, Pastor Marcus Hayes, Lead Pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church, 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 Lisa Hassler, Resound Special Needs Ministry Choir directed by Wanda Horton, and MLK Adult Mass Choir directed by Pastor Joseph McKinney. The Oak Ridge High School Air Force Junior ROTC led the posting of the colors.
During the commemorative tribute, Pastor Marcus Hayes, Lead Pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church, shared a moving message inspired by this year’s theme, “Rise Up.”
A Virtual Presentation of the 2022 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, TME Enterprises, Woodforest National Bank, Dr. Chinasa and Debbie Anugwom, Frank and Laura Ermis, T and S Food Services, Houston Aldine Lions Club, and Jimmy and Elsa Dotson.
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration committee included the committee chair Cheryl Tyson and committee members Pam Crawford, Bernadine Davis, Wanda Davis, Elsa Dotson, and William O’Neal.
