Windham Area Clergy provides community church service to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Lorraine Glowczak

The Windham Area Clergy Association will offer a Martin Luther King, Jr Service in honor of the holiday that celebrates the civil rights activist and theologian. The service and celebration will take place on Sunday, January 14 at 1 p.m., hosted by St. Ann’s Episcopal Church, 40 Windham Center Road in Windham. The event is free and everyone is invited to attend.

 

The ceremony will include combined area church readings and choir, as well as a four-minute film that highlights one of the well-known peaceful leader’s speeches, “I’ve been to the Mountaintop.” Prior to the service, St. Ann’s will provide a soup lunch at 11:30 a.m. 

Area churches involved in this combined service include not only St. Ann’s Episcopal Church but also North Windham Union Church, Windham Hill United Church of Christ, Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) and Faith Lutheran Church.

For those who wish to make a donation, St Ann’s will gratefully accept health and cleaning supplies for St. Ann’s Essential Pantry. “The Essential Pantry accepts all donations that are not available on folks’ EBT cards,” stated St. Ann’s Rector, Tim Higgins in a previous interview. “As these items are collected during the service, they will be distributed to members of the community the last Saturday of the month.”

Items such as toilet paper, sanitary napkins, paper towels, toothpaste, etc. are most needed. 

Monetary donations will also be accepted, and funds will go toward the Seeds of Peace organization. Seeds of Peace inspires young leaders and promotes religious and cultural understanding as well as combating violence and addressing economic challenges throughout the world.

The next service provided by the Windham Area Clergy is a Seder Service, a Jewish Passover meal. The meal will be hosted by Faith Lutheran Church, 988 Roosevelt Trail in Windham on Sunday, March 18 at 4 p.m.

“Although Seder was developed centuries after Jesus was alive,” began Pastor Jane Field of Faith Lutheran Church, “Christians traditionally remember that Jesus’ last supper was a Passover meal. That is why we are offering the experience during the holy season of Lent. The one thing we do know about the meal Jesus and his disciples shared is they would have included lamb, as does a traditional Passover Seder meal.” 

The Rabbi officiating the meal is retired Rabbi Joshua Chasan of Portland. 

For more information about the Martin Luther King, Jr. Service or the Windham Area Clergy Association, contact Fr. Tim Higgins at 892-8447 or revtimhiggins@gmail.com.