The Words of the Gomis Family
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The Words of the Gomis Family |
What other than the legacy of a true pioneer of peace, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., can bring people of every creed, culture and political affiliation out in unity?
For the last four years the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification has partnered with various community organizations including one of the pillars of a New York community, Macedonia African Methodist Episcopal Church, to celebrate the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr., through a day of commemoration and service.
Working from the heart of Flushing, Queens, a neighborhood where over 200 places of worship are bundled within a 2.5 square-mile radius, these local action heroes seized the opportunity to engage the community in peace-building activities on Monday, January 19. This year carried a special significance because of the call of President-Elect Obama for people all across the country to engage in works of service on that day to "Be the Change."
The first part of the program featured musical and performing arts performances that reminded us that peace is about much more than ending conflict. Called a "vocalist of peace," ___ brought the crowd to its feet repeatedly with her powerful voice and impeccable piano playing.
After lunch, the volunteers prepared themselves for an afternoon of service by reading one of Dr. King's most profound speeches, "Drum Major Instinct." As they listened, many people present realized that Dr. King not only worked for racial harmony and equality, but he tried his very best to carry on the work of Jesus Christ. There in the Sunday School room of the church, young people from all over New York City made their goals and determinations for the day, choosing to embody Dr. King's qualities of compassion, bravery and forgiveness.
While the older children went out to visit a senior citizen center and collect canned goods, the younger children stayed at the church and took part in hands-on projects. One of the projects was creating together a service- and peace-themed mosaic. The mosaic included this quote from Dr. King: "Everyone can be great because everyone can serve." Another project was decorating stickers with drawings and encouraging messages, which would be put onto the cans that the older volunteers were collecting for a food pantry. Some of the messages were "God Loves You" and "Have a Nice Day." The children willingly invested their time and love with the motive of bringing joy to others.
As they left to go door to door to collect the canned goods, the group of middle-and high-school students left the AME church feeling exuberant and hopeful about the challenges to come. Although the teams were occasionally ignored and kicked out of a few buildings, they came back with 278 nonperishable food items, nearly triple the total of the collection in 2008. One volunteer said that even though he didn't get to do the project he wanted, he was grateful that his group was able to feel God’s love. Many of the kids got to hear first-hand from the residents about some of AME's great efforts in the community.
The Franklin Adult Day Care Center is home to hundreds of seniors from a wide range of religious and cultural backgrounds. The volunteers broke into small groups and went room to room, singing, chatting and bonding with their elders. One volunteer described her experience with one resident: "Although she was Chinese and didn't understand what we were saying, she still sang the word love." A parent who accompanied the volunteers also observed, "After we finished our song, one lady was so moved, she told us that she loved each one of us as her own children."
The closing ceremony was held at the Free Synagogue of Flushing, where Rabbi Michael Weisser commended the volunteers for their hard work. But he also urged everyone to not confine service and sacrifice to one holiday a year. Bringing out nearly 50 volunteers this snowy Monday, the event has again set the stage for another year of great work within the Flushing community.