Baylor University Honors Martin Luther King Jr.

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Baylor University will be closed Monday, Jan. 18, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but two events - one before, the other after the holiday - will honor the slain civil rights leader.

On Sunday, Jan. 17, Baylor's Association of Black Students, School of Social Work, George W. Truett Theological Seminary and the Religion Department will host a worship service in honor of King at 3:30 p.m. at Miller Chapel in the Tidwell Bible Building on the Baylor campus.

"We try to inspire individuals to keep Dr. King in mind and the lessons he taught us," said Erich Nichols, vice president for the Association of Black Students.

The Rev. Delvin Atchison, pastor of Antioch Baptist Church and a master of divinity student at Truett, will lead the worship service, titled "Martin Luther King Jr.: Remembering the Visionary and Responding to a Call to Action."

The program will open with Heavenly Voices Gospel Choir. The Antioch Baptist choir will perform as well along with a miming group called The Magnifiers.

"We do this every year as a tribute to Dr. King to continue his legacy and celebrate his life," Nichols said.

A reception will be held immediately after the service at the Bobo Spiritual Life Center on campus. The Rev. Ahmad Washington, college minister at Carver Park Baptist Church, will perform a rap.

The service is open to the public. For more information about the worship service, contact Baylor's MLK Student Planning Committee at (254) 710-6233.

On Thursday, Jan. 21, at noon, the Office of Student Life will host a luncheon in celebration of King in the Cashion Academic Building on the fifth floor.

The guest speaker will be Dr. Tony Evans, co-founder and senior pastor of the 7,500-member Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas. He is the former chaplain of the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys and presently serves as chaplain for the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks.

Evans also is founder and president of The Urban Alternative, a national organization designed to bring spiritual and family renewal in urban America through the church. His son, Jonathan Evans, is a 2003 Baylor graduate.

The luncheon is free, but by invitation only. To receive an invitation contact Diana_Balderas@baylor.edu.

For more information about the luncheon, contact (254) 710-2371.

by Jessica Puente, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805