Story by Jessica Burnett
On a bright and sunny morning on Mon., Jan. 20, the Union African Methodist Episcopal (UAME) Church in Warwick held their annual Martin Luther King Jr. Service. People of all ages gathered to show their support and passion for the man who simply “had a dream.”
Everyone who gathered for this occasion greeted each other with smiles and pure joy. Children handed out pamphlets for people to follow along with the service. while men and women greeted everyone as they walked into the church.
Rev. Dr. Ann Marie Bentsi-Addison Posey preached about Martin Luther King Jr. in an amazing and passionate way. She explained to the audience that “this land is your land; this land is my land. We all come from somewhere and we have made it our land. Regardless of what we look like, we should always be united and stick together because we are stronger that way.”
Village of Warwick Mayor Michael Newhard made a heart-warming speech saying, “We would not be here today sharing, caring, and loving if it weren’t for Martin Luther King, Jr.”
Many others spoke as well. New York State Senator Jen Metzger was happy to announce in her speech that “we officially have the most diverse state senate.”
The church had a choir called the Monticello SDA Youth sing a few songs. The first song was by a group of young children. The lyrics were so incredible that they made the audience cry. As for their second song of the day, one of the girls from the choir did a solo and sang a beautiful dedication to Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. touched the lives of many. The UAME Church was very proud to honor him as they do every year.
