Bronx Churches, Diocese Welcome Presiding Bishop at MLK Celebration

By Neva Rae Fox

God asks us to dream dreams, love the unlovable, and have mercy on the merciless. When we do, we will join Martin in worshipping God on the mountaintop.
Dios nos pide soñar sueños, amar los que nos odian y tener misericordia de los despiadados. Cuando lo hagamos, nos reuniremos con Martin rindiendo culto a Dios sobre la montaña.- The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, January 15, 2007

It was a joyful celebration for a man whose impact remains far-reaching, and a rousing welcome for a woman whose impact is beginning to be felt.

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, presided and preached at St. Ann’s in the Bronx for the Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. The January 15 event marked thefirst public appearance in the Episcopal Diocese of New York for Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori, elected in June 2006 at the church’s national General Convention and invested in November 2006.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was remembered with wise words and song, solemn meditations and honors. The Presiding Bishop was welcomed with cheers and tears, prayers and offerings, three standing ovations, and an outpouring of love.

Effortlessly switching between English and Spanish, the Presiding Bishop captured the hearts and the minds of the 400+ people crowded into the historic Bronx church,sitting in pews, on folding chairs, on steps, in the aisles and jammed into the small balcony.

Punctuated by applause, rousing music, laughter and heartfelt warmth, the two-plus hour service was presented in English and in Spanish, with the Prayers of the People in French, Spanish and English, reflective of the multi-cultural gathering of all ages who braved the rain to honor King and listen to Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori.

The Presiding Bishop’s Sermon

The Presiding Bishop set the tone with the opening of her sermon. “Our brother Martin had a dream, a dream born in the story of a people led out of slavery and oppression. He labored mightily to bring that dream to reality, to liberate a people still in chains and shackles 100 years after their legal deliverance. You and I know that nearly 40 years after his death we still have not fully achieved that dream. Some still live in oppression because of the color of their skin. Some still live in oppression because of their national origin and heritage. Some have arrived on these shores to work because we want their labor, but they live in oppression because we are not willing to allow them to become free and equal citizens.”

“She continued, “Non-violent loving is not necessarily easy, but it can change the world.”

“Turn the other cheek. We’ve usually understood that to mean don’t retaliate when you’re offended. It’s more. If the offender wants to continue, it will have to be by dealing with an equal. Dr. King taught people to live in a way that says, ‘even if you disregard me, I am a full human being and your equal. It led to taking a seat at lunch counters and on buses. Sometimes that assertion drew a violent response, like the firehoses that were used on peaceful demonstrators. But that out of proportion response began to change public opinion, and began to change the system that permitted oppression to continue.”

She pointed to a recent major news event in the Bronx. “Generosity is disarming – whether it’s giving money, or our talent and time, or risking our lives in the service of others. When Dr. King’s house was bombed, he began to understand that his life would probably be forfeit, but he continued to love nonetheless. Two weeks ago Wesley Autrey offered his life to save another’s under a subway train. You and I can love with abandon, we can keep on loving folks who disagree with us or hate us, and we can change the world.”

“Nearly forty years have passed since Martin King was assassinated. Like the prophets of the Hebrew Bible, like the threat Jesus posed to the governments of his day, like the prophets of the ages since, Martin threatened the structures of oppression and domination,” she said. “May we be tireless lovers of our enemies, ever-hopeful of seeing them in the completeness for which God created them. As long as anyone is in bondage, none of us will ever be free.”
She concluded: “God asks us to dream dreams, love the unlovable, and have mercy on the merciless. When we do, we will join Martin in worshipping God on the mountaintops.”

The Presiding Bishop’s Sermon in Spanish

“Nuestro hermano Martín tuvo un sueño, un sueño nacido en medio de la historia de un pueblo liberado de la esclavitud y opresión. Martin luchó duramente por hacer realidad este sueño: librar un pueblo todavía prisionero y cargados de cadenas. Cerca de 40 años después de su muerte, ustedes y yo sabemos que todavía no se ha logrado este sueño. Todavía algunos viven en esclavitud y opresión por el color de su piel, negro, moreno o de otro color. Algunos aun viven esclavizados por causa deu nacionalidad o su origen étnico. Algunos han venido a estas tierras para trabajar, pero viven en opresión porque nuestro sistema quiere aprovechar su trabajo, pero no desea permitirles que sean ciudadanos libres e iguales.” “Pon la otra mejilla. Usualmente, entendemos que esto se trata de no vengarse. Pero es más que esto. Si el esclavo daba la otra mejilla, el dueño debía tratarle con el como igual y usar la palma. El Dr. King enseñó una nueva forma de vida: aunque no me respetes, soy un ser humano y soy tu igual. Algunas veces esa afirmación provocaba una respuesta violenta, como el uso de las mangueras de incendios contra los manifestantes. Pero aun esta respuesta excesiva comenzó a cambiar la opinión pública y cambiar al sistema de opresión.”

Ella prosiguió “Amar sin violencia no es fácil, pero puede cambiar al mundo.”

“Pon la otra mejilla. Usualmente, entendemos que esto se trata de no vengarse. Pero es más que esto,” señaló. “Si el esclavo daba la otra mejilla, el dueño debía tratarle con el como igual y usar la palma. El Dr. King enseñó una nueva forma de vida: “aunque no me respetes, soy un ser humano y soy tu igual.” Algunas veces esa afirmación provocaba una respuesta violenta, como el uso de las mangueras de incendios contra los manifestantes. Pero aun esta respuesta excesiva comenzó a cambiar la opinión pública y cambiar al sistema de opresión.”

Ella se refirió a un reciente acontecimiento noticioso en el Bronx. “La generosidad puede desarmar ya sea dinero, habilidad, tiempo o la vida dada en servicio de otros. Cuando se puso una bomba en la casa del Dr. King, el comenzó a comprender que su vida estaba en peligro, pero él siguió amando. Hace dos semanas Wesley Autrey ofreció su vida para salvar la vida de otra persona caída debajo del tren. Podemos amar con generosidad, amar a los que nos odian y podremos cambiar al mundo."

“Casi 40 años han pasado desde el asesinato de Martin King. Como los profetas de la Biblia, como la amenaza que Jesús representaba contra el gobierno romano, como los profetas que han vinieron después, Martin amenazó al sistema de oppression,” dijo. “Seamos amantes de nuestros enemigos, listos para poder contemplarlos con la perfección que Dios busca para toda la humanidad. Mientras alguien esté esclavizado, nosotros no podemos ser libres.

Y concluyó: “Dios nos pide soñar sueños, amar los que nos odian y tener misericordia de los despiadados. Cuando lo hagamos, nos reuniremos con Martin rindiendo culto a Dios sobre la montañas.”

The Service

This year was the 21st anniversary of the country’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day observance and would have marked the 78th birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As a further honor, the congregation joined in a litany based on King’s famous I Have A Dream speech. Also included were readings from “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?”, King’s book of 40 years ago.
The Rev. Martha Overall, bishop’s vicar at St. Ann’s, spoke of the historic significance of St. Ann’s, where founding fathers are buried. She observed, “Martin Luther King based his dream on the US Constitution, and the author of the US Constitution is buried right outside the church.”
Bishop E. Don Taylor welcomed the Presiding Bishop, noting, “You have the love, the respect and the prayers of your people.” He pointed to the congregation, representing “a microcosm of your province.”

Bronx Council

Each year, the 23 congregations in the three Bronx Interparish Councils gather together to give thanks for the life and ministry of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year, the celebration was hosted by the South Bronx IPC.
As a further tribute to Dr. King, the Bronx Council has established a Memorial Scholarship Fund, and the offering received during the celebration goes towards this Fund. In 2006, scholarships were awarded to five deserving students from Bronx parishes. For those unable to attend the Service, the Rev. Theodora Brooks, chair of the South Bronx IPC, said gifts to the Scholarship Fund may be made payable to the Bronx Council, earmarked: MLK Scholarship Fund, and sent to the Church of the Holy Nativity, 3061 Bainbridge Avenue, Bronx, NY 10467. Attention: Richard Kelly, Treasurer.