On the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr, Christian Aid and Westminster Abbey will be hosting a National Service and a Symposium on Wednesday 4th April 2018 at midday.
The service will focus on justice, exploring the role of faith in seeking justice and bringing about transformation in our world. The Bishop of Woolwich, the Rt Revd Dr Karowei Dorgu will be delivering the sermon with other contributors including the new CEO of Christian Aid, Amanda Khozi Mukwashi, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, who led the courageous fight for justice for her murdered son Stephen, and the Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the chaplain to the Speaker of the Palace of Westminster. His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent will also be in attendance.
Christian Aid enjoyed a warm relationship with Dr King. On his occasional visits to the UK, he would prioritise visits to the Christian Aid offices. Moreover, alongside the former British Council of Churches, Christian Aid would make appointments for Dr King and helped with his press and media.
Ahead of the sermon, Dr Karowei commented, ‘As we celebrate fifty years of the legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr, this is a moment for us to reflect both individually and collectively on our responsibility as humans “to do justice and equity”, and why these are essential to our collective human flourishing in society. We will also be reminding ourselves of the words of Dr King that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.
Fifty years to the day of Dr King’s assassination, Westminster Abbey will be filled with songs from outstanding vocalists and a fifty-strong choral from the IDMC, New Wine Choir, Acquire, London Adventist Chorale and the Kingdom Choir, conducted by Karen Gibson and John Fisher. They will be performing many of the spirituals and standards associated with Dr King and the US civil rights movement.
A symposium will be taking place after the service at St Margaret’s Church, next to the Abbey between 3pm and 6pm, where the issues of justice will be explored more fully, and will feature a number leading thinkers from the church and society.
Doors open at 10:45 am and the service starts at 12 noon.
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Notes to Editors:
Christian Aid works in some of the world's poorest communities in around 40 countries at any one time. We act where there is great need, regardless of religion, helping people to live a full life, free from poverty. We provide urgent, practical and effective assistance in tackling the root causes of poverty as well as its effects.
Christian Aid’s core belief is that the world can and must be changed so that poverty is ended: this is what we stand for. Everything we do is about ending poverty and injustice: swiftly, effectively, sustainably. Our strategy document Partnership for Change explains how we set about this task.
Christian Aid is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of more than 130 churches and church-related organisations that work together in humanitarian assistance, advocacy and development.
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For more information about the work of Christian Aid, visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk
