‘For Such a Time As This’: MLK Day event to uplift prophetic message for the current moment 

On Jan. 20, the annual commemoration of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy will coincide with the inauguration of President Donald Trump’s second term.  

With this symbolic overlap, the United Church of Christ and a coalition of interfaith partners are hosting a national Interfaith Service and Moral Mass Meeting to address this critical moment. It is an invitation for people of faith and moral conviction to rise together and respond to deep injustices that exist within the nation. 

King’s legacy demonstrates the need for people in the current moment to speak up, to speak out, and to be advocates, emphasized the UCC General Minister and President the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson. 

“As we step into what it means to have new leadership in the United States, we’re also stepping into what it means to continue the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., to continue to say that all are created equal, to continue to lend our voice to not being silent, to continue to hold space for understanding the interconnectedness of us as people,” Thompson said. “This event is about casting vision, it’s about lending voice, and it’s definitely about not becoming silent in the face of fear.” 

All are invited to gather For Such a Time As This: A Prophetic Response to America’s Defining Moment on Jan. 20 at 6 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. ET, which can be attended in person and virtually.  

The live event — which will also be live streamed — will be held at the Healing Cathedral Christian Church in Memphis, Tennessee, the city that King visited several times and where he spent his last days supporting the Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike before his assassination in April 1968. People interested in attending in person or virtually are encouraged to register for the event. 

Speakers from the interfaith service and mass moral meeting, in addition to Thompson, include: 

• Bishop Yvette Flounder, presiding bishop of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries;  

• Bishop William J. Barber, II, president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call For Moral Revival;  

• Rev. Terri Hord-Owens, general minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ);  

• Rev. Sofia Betancourt, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association;  

• Rev. Shaine Claiborne, co-founder and leader of Red Letter Christians;  

• Rev. Moya Harris, director of Racial Justice for Sojourners. 

These leaders and organizations share a common commitment to justice, Thompson said.  

“This particular group of people is of like mind around what it means for us as people of faith with common commitments to come together at a time when it feels that our politics have become increasingly divisive. Our faith is an anchor and a part of what brings us together and unites us, and even though we have common commitments around justice, we’re also a very diverse group. We’re looking forward to what it means to continue as organizations and people saying that our faith stands on the side of justice,” she said.

‘We who believe in freedom’

When Thompson shared her vision for holding an event designed “for such a time as this,” — words inspired by the Scripture of Esther 4:14 — these organizations and leaders joined in this vision. 

“This coalition and event brings a commitment that says — like the quote from ‘Ella’s Song’ by Sweet Honey and the Rock – ‘We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.’ We don’t have this moment to rest,” she said. “Instead, we have this moment to continue to do the work that we have been called to do — to ensure that peace is present for those who live in the United States and also around the world.”

Registration to attend the event is available here. 

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