KING'S DREAM EULOGIZED LOCALLY; 150 ATTEND CELEBRATION AT CHURCH

A choir from Clippard Elementary School sang of "marching in the light of God," gospel singer Ramona Robinson raised the roof at least an inch and a minister exhorted everyone to "take a towel of servanthood, a towel of sister and brotherhood."

The Rev. Dr. Rhymes Moncure Jr. referred Monday night to the towel Jesus used to clean the feet of his disciples. This is the kind of leadership the world needs and the kind the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. provided, Moncure told more than 150 people attending the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration at First Presbyterian Church in Cape Girardeau.

Moncure, senior pastor of the Missouri United Methodist Church in Columbia, previously was superintendent of the Methodist Church's South St. Louis District. He is on the executive board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and sits on the board of Goodwill Industries of Missouri and the United Way.

The choir directed by Pam Dumey paired the South African freedom song "Siyahamba" with "Follow the Drinking Gourd," a Civil War-era song that told slaves to follow the Big Dipper along the Underground Railroad.

Accompanied by her mother, Altha Robinson on piano, Ramona Robinson sang rousing versions of "Jesus, You Are the Center of My Joy" and "Abraham, Martin & John."

Barbara Blanchard and Washington Elementary School received the 1999 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award. Lorna Mueller, a longtime teacher at the school, accepted the award for Blanchard, who is recovering from surgery.

"This is the nicest honor I could think of after having been at Washington School for so many years," the school's former principal said through Mueller.

Washington teacher Nancy Godwin accepted on behalf of the school's current principal, Pamela Barnes, who was unable to attend due to a family illness.

The event was sponsored by the Ministers Coalition for Progress and the Cape Girardeau Ministerial Alliance. Afterward, the Rev. David Allen of St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church said bonds between the races should be stronger. "I think this is how God intended us to be. Somehow we got out of sync with God's program."

Allen said churches should be leading the way toward making the experience of community togetherness more than a one-a-year occurrence.

"It has been said 11 o'clock on Sunday is the most segregated hour in America," Allen said. "The churches should be able to take a leadership role of fellowship with each other."

But they have not done so, Allen said, adding, "I admit I am as guilty as anyone."

The Rev. Jim King, pastor of the Broadway United Methodist Church in Scott City and St. Paul United Methodist Church in Commerce, attended with his wife, Sue. They were impressed with the singing and with Moncure's message. "We have to come together to live together," King said.

Franklin Elementary School fifth-grader Jacob Marberry asked both his friend Aaron Clokovich and his grandmother, the Rev. Patricia Williams, to accompany him to the celebration.

Williams, an Episcopal priest from St. Louis, said it is essential for adults to bring children to such events. "It is important for them to be together with people who are comfortable. Then they will educate other people that all the colors of the Earth can be together," she said.

Kevin Mitchell, an Oakland, Calif., resident visiting his family here, said such events are important -- "especially for the younger people so they can see what the older people had to go through."

Other ministers taking part in the ceremony were the Rev. Ann Mowery and Dr. Clayton L. Smith of Centenary United Methodist Church, the Rev. Dr. William Bird of New Dimension Church, the Rev. Philip Curran of First Christian Church and the Rev. Brendan Dempsey of First Presbyterian Church.

Upcoming events

Wednesday -- "March for Tomorrow," 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. beginning at Academic Hall. Celebrates King's past marches. It will be followed by a short program.

Saturday -- Carver Day Celebration, 2 p.m., University Center Ballroom. Recognizes contributions of university staff and community residents in areas of science and community service.

Jan. 26 -- "Conversations on Community -- A Special Session of Embracing the University Portrait," 6:30 to 8 p.m., University Center Indiana Room. Includes presentation on principles of community.

Jan. 27 -- Common Hour, "Racial Legacies and Learning." Discussion includes possible solutions to question of "How can higher education with its local communities prepare students to address both the legacies of racism and the opportunity for racial recognition in the United States?"