By John Kriz
On a chilly, yet bright, January 20, the community gathered in the United Methodist Church of New Canaan www.umcofnewcanaan.org to celebrate the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who died by an assassin’s bullet on an early Spring day in Memphis, Tennessee nearly sixty years ago.
But it was not death, and the hate that drove it, but the redeeming power of love that was the watchword of the day.
The tone was set by the Men’s Choir from Bridgeport-based Pivot Ministries, who opened with uplifting song. Pivot Ministries www.pivotministries.org is a faith-based charity focused on building hope and healing among men struggling with addiction. Its pastor and director, Rev. Richard Williams, was keynote speaker.
Rev. Gilbert Burgess, pastor of New Canaan’s Community Baptist Church on Cherry Street www.cbcnewcanaan.org welcomed the congregation, noting that Dr. King’s life “expressed unity as opposed to division” and that the New Canaan community had “gathered here in unity.” Said Rev. Burgess, “one of the most beautiful representations of God’s love is to love each other.”
Khanisha Moore followed by singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” supported by Peterson Prime on piano and Justin Merveille on saxophone. Ms. Moore noted that the day before she had been at New Canaan’s Congregational Church www.godsacre.org, where she was reminded that “God has brought us thus far on our way to stand together,” noting Dr. King’s “dream of people from different walks of life coming together, bound by faith and hope,” and that “though the journey continues, moments like these remind us that we’re on the right path.”
Rev. Martha Epstein, senior pastor of the Methodist Church, in her invocation, said “Let us pray not just with our words but with our hands. Let us not pray just with what we say, but with what we do. Let us pray not just with what we intend, but with the witness of our lives. Let us pray not just with what we dream, but with our boots on the ground. Let us pray to remind ourselves, and to remind each other, of who we are, of whose we are, and especially of whom we are called to be as the beloved community.”
Jennifer Zonis, president of the Interfaith Council of New Canaan www.ncinterfaithcouncil.com which sponsored this tribute to Dr. King and his legacy of love, offered the prayer “He who makes peace in high places, let him make peace for us and for all the world,” and followed with a sung prayer in Hebrew.
New Canaan High School students John Baluyut and Daniel Ortiz, who are members of A Better Chance in New Canaan www.abchouseofnc.org spoke as well, with Mr. Baluyut, a senior, noting that “love is more than a feeling from family and friends. It is the transformative force capable of mending broken relationships, bridging the divides, and making enemies turn into friends.” He went on to say that while in New Canaan he “met new people in wrestling, church and school. I also learned love isn’t only about liking somebody, but it is offering kindness, patience, a willingness to break down barriers, taking initiative and reaching out to peers and friends. With a simple, friendly gesture, you can foster relationships and bonds that last a lifetime.”
Mr. Ortiz, a sophomore, talked of stepping “outside of our comfort zones,” with himself as an example, leaving his home in the Bronx for New Canaan. He noted that “these moments, while daunting and at times confusing, hold the power to transform us profoundly.” Mr. Ortiz also spoke of realizing that “in order for me to thrive in my new environment, I had to learn to welcome diversity not only in others but within myself. I had to learn the biases and fears I had nurtured and replace them with understanding and love. Day by day, I began to see the value in connecting with people who were different from me. These interactions broadened my perspective and enriched my understanding of the world. The uneasiness that I once felt was gradually replaced with a sense of belonging and acceptance. The lessons I learned during this time have shaped my character and remain with me to this day.”
In his keynote Rev. Williams of Pivot Ministries noted that Dr. King “understood love as a transformative power, a remedy to heal and build a society rooted in justice and equality.” He went on to say that “Jesus taught his followers to love their enemies. He knew the transforming power of love. He knew that love was a power to transform an enemy into a friend. Loving your enemies with a tall order when Jesus proclaimed it. It’s a tall order when Martin Luther King proclaimed it and friends, even today it remains a tall order.” Rev. Williams even termed the call to love one’s enemies a “pretty unfair demand.” So why do it? Why replace the hate with love? One reason, says Rev. Williams, is that “harboring hatred doesn’t hurt the person you despise, friends. It harms you.” In addition, “love has redemptive power.” Plus, love “opens a door to something extraordinary: Reconciliation.” Love is creative rather than destructive. It builds bridges, and “it reflects the character of God.” Rev. Williams concluded by saying “we can love our enemies by seeing the good in them. Yeah, it’s that simple. Seeing the good in people.”
An offering was collected by the youth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints https://local.churchofjesuschrist.org/en/us/ct/new-canaan/682-south-avenue, with proceeds devoted to the New Canaan Food Pantry www.newcanaan.info/departments/human_services/new_canaan_food_pantry.php which served 2500 people and 700 households in need in 2024.
After enjoying a rendition of “The Greatest Love of All” from Ms. Moore, Mr. Prime and Mr. Merveille, Msgr. Robert Kinnally of St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church www.starcc.com closed with a benediction, asking God to “free us from hatred, ignorance, fear, injustice or whatever else that prevents us from being a community of love, mercy and respect.”
The event concluded with the Pivot Ministries’ Men’s Choir leading everyone in singing “We Shall Overcome.”
First Selectman Dionna Carlson, who attended along with Selectmen Steve Karl and Amy Murphy Carroll, summed up the tribute to Dr. King this way: “The Interfaith Council’s 23rd annual honoring of the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an inspirational service highlighting a message of love as a means to remove barriers that divide.”
I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
John J Kriz is a 30+ year resident of New Canaan. The views expressed are his own.
