In celebration
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">HARRISBURG – Members, family and friends of Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church gathered Monday to honor both American's most celebrated civil rights pioneer and the progress of society.
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The 15<sup><span style="font-size: small;">th</span></sup> Annual Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr., this year themed “Just how far have we come?”, featured messages and music from church members and guests.
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">At the end of the program, all in attendance were invited to offer remarks on the day.
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Opal Mann of Carrier Mills, who was noted to be the eldest in attendance at 86, spoke of a friend who had passed away and offered encouragement.
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">“Let's all pray for one another, and please God, bless everyone,” she said.
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lisa Bacon referred to the 1939 Billie Holiday song, “Strange Fruit,” a protest song about the lynching of Africa-Americans. The song compares those murdered, left hanging from trees, to a tree's “fruit.”
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">“We wonder just how far we've come? If Martin Luther was here to say anything, he'd say oh my goodness,” Bacon said. “Don't let our children – and some already have – become strange fruit.”
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Marion Riley, a deacon at Mt. Pleasant for about 20 years, spoke about the importance of helping other people in need.
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">“John F. Kennedy said, 'Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,'” Riley said.
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">He said people must help others in order for society to function.
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">“If you see someone struggling, give them a hand,” Riley said.
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Harrisburg Mayor John McPeek attended to declare a proclamation honoring the ceremony, which he said he enjoyed.
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">“I'm really glad I went,” he said. “People in this community don't the history of that church. It's one of the older churches in Harrisburg.”
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The church was organized in 1880 and the building was moved to its current location at 331 E. Walnut St. in 1921.