“Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence and UNITY”
COMMEMORATIVE PROGRAM
My Beloved Community
“Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence”
The Mission is Possible, and I am proud that from the World’s Greatest City, Barnesville, Georgia, our tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr., adds that the mission is possible through unity.
After Dr. King accepted the call to pastor the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1954, he said he was anxious to change the impression that the church was a “silk-stocking church catering only to a certain class. He spoke these words, “I was convinced that worship at its best is a social experience with people of all levels of life coming together to realize their oneness and unity under God. Whenever the church, consciously or unconsciously, caters to one class it loses the spiritual force of the whosoever will, let him come, doctrine and is in danger of becoming a little more than a social club with a thin veneer of religiosity.”
Today, as we seek to protect freedom, justice, and democracy, we are reminded of the mission of the church. Thus, we are grateful that the pastors and churches of Barnesville-Lamar County unite for this King Celebration Worship Service. We are challenged to be the church beyond this day to protect freedom, justice, and democracy. It is a mission possible through nonviolence; it is a mission possible through unity.
In the spirit of unity, we honor the pastor and churches of Barnesville-Lamar County.
The Martin Luther King Celebration was founded as a time to celebrate the King Holiday and to give the Youth, our local students, an opportunity to express themselves and to become involved in our community. They became our Youth Ambassadors. Years, later, we are blessed by the legacy of Youth Ambassadors, past and present. Former Youth Ambassadors are true Dream Keepers as they now use their gift, talent, and education as successful young adults throughout the world from Barnesville, Georgia. Current Youth Ambassadors are leaders in our local school and community.
In the spirit of unity, we are proud of the Youth Ambassadors of Barnesville Barnesville Lamar County.
The pastors, the churches, the Youth Ambassadors, and each of you make the World’s Greatest City. Thanks to each of you for your support of the Martin Luther King, Jr., King Celebration Weekend. Special thanks to our sponsors for their financial and in-kind support and to the Men of Empowerment who have been partnered to assist with the worship service and have coordinated this year’s King Day March and Program.
We are thankful for the many years Pastor James C. Marable and the Bethel Baptist Church have served as our host church. Thanks for your consistent love and support. We are indeed blessed to welcome the Reverend Christopher A. Wimberly and the Hunter Hill First Baptist Church as our guest for this year’s King Celebration. Thank you for coming to Barnesville.
In the spirit of unity, we are grateful for the support of the King Celebration.
Christopher
Hightower,
King Weekend Founder/Host
2025 Dream Keepers - Youth Ambassadors
2025 Dream Keepers - Our Pastors
Kaitlin Neal
Asya Mathis
Charlissia Head
Jasmyn Dixson
The Reverend Derrick Barron, Pastor Mt. Hope Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
The Reverend Delvrick L. Blackmon, Pastor Sardis Baptist Church
KeMariya Webb
Reginae Smith
The Revered Keith Battle, Pastor Antioch Baptist Church
The Reverend Dr. VaRonda Brown, Pastor Mount Sinai Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
2025 Dream Keepers - Our Pastors
The Reverend David Blalock, Pastor Mount Pleasant Baptist Church
The Reverend Dr. Eddie F. Collier, Pastor Towaliga County Line Baptist Church, Jackson, Georgia
The Reverend Charles W. Dumas, Sr., Pastor Shiloh Baptist Church
The Reverend Wilma J. Hastings, Pastor Barnesville Parish, Green Mount and Unionville United Methodist Churches
Apostle Marilyn Brownlee, Pastor Sought Out Outreach Ministry
The Reverend Terrence Curtis, Pastor Calvary Baptist Church Barnesville
The Reverend Freeman E. Fuller, Jr., Pastor, New Provident Outreach Ministries
The Reverend Cecil M. Hutchins, Pastor Sand Hill Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
2025 Dream Keepers - Our Pastors
The Reverend Jimmy Lyons, Pastor East Mount Sinai Baptist Church
The Reverend Mia C. McGee, Pastor Grace to Glory Ministries
Elder Robert Reynolds, Pastor Christ Anointed Church
The Reverend James C. Marable, Pastor Bethel Baptist Church
Bishop LaDamium D. Raines, Pastor Greater Springhill Baptist Church
Dr. Delores Thomas, Pastor Whites Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
The Reverend Waylon T. Knight, Pastor West Mount Sinai Baptist Church
Apostle Dr. Oliver Leaks, Founder and Pastor Fresh Manna Ministries, Inc.
The Litany of Commemoration
Leader: Our Lord God has wisely chosen men and women to serve Him in each era. Such a servant of our Lord God was Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we now commemorate. We are thankful for the life of this 20th Century prophet of freedom, who joined the prophets of history in the cry:
Congregation: In the Name of Love, Let My People Go.
Leader: Martin Luther King, Jr., envisioned the ultimate freedom; the freedom achieved in struggle; the freedom reached in brotherhood; the freedom fired by the dream of a man; the freedom inspired by the lot of a people; the freedom free of hate; the freedom free of love.
Congregation: In the Name of Love, Let My People Go.
Leader: He came into our lives when the yearning of people to be free had turned their attention to justice. He reminded us that the human spirit soars from the depths of despair with the strength and belief in the promise of the Creator of the universe. We know and testify. The Lord loves justice; He will not forsake his people.
Congregation: In the Name of Love, Let My People Go.
Leader: The leader sang with the people, “Ain’t gonna study war no more.” When violence was met, he spurned it and said: “Hate is too great a burden to bear.” When death was confronted, he could say in final triumph that in life he had found something worth dying for, something worth life itself, the Promised Land, a land of freedom and justice.
Congregation: In the Name of Love, Let My People Go.
Leader: So, we are thankful that the Spirit of the Lord anointed a man who preached good news to the poor, who rejected segregation and embraced liberation, who prophesied the greatness of his people in struggle for the deliverance of all people.
Congregation: In the Name of Love, Let My People Go.
Leader: We praise the Lord God for sending us a man of peace who resisted tyranny, a man of nonviolence who fought for liberty, a man of God who worked for people. Thank You Lord, for Martin Luther King, Jr., who inspired us with his dream, who walked into our lives and our hearts with his marches of justice, who demanded freedom with great courage in the face of grave danger, who has now passed on into Your Promised Land.
All: In the Name of Martin Luther King, Jr. Let My People God.
National Black Anthem
Lift every voice and sing Till earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of Liberty; Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies, Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us, Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us. Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, Let us march on till victory is won.
Stony the road we trod, Bitter the chastening rod, Felt in the days when hope unborn had died; Yet with a steady beat, Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered, We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered, Out from the gloomy past, Till now we stand at last Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way; Thou who hast by Thy might Led us into the light, Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee, Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee; Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stand.
True to our God, True to our native land.
The Unity in the Community Worship Celebration
In Celebration and Commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday, January 19, 2025
6:00PM
Prelude
The Opening Christopher Ponder, Youngest Member Lamar County NAACP
Praise & Worship
Bishop LaDamium Raines, Pastor Greater Spring Hill Baptist Church
THE CALL TO CELEBRATION AND COMMEMORATION
Old Testament Scripture
Hamilcar Kelley, Billy Kelley, Darnell Kelley
New Testament Scripture Kasey Carter and Kaden Carter
Prayer
National Black Anthem
Greetings
Litany of Commemoration
Tribute to Dr. King
Musical Selections
Unity in the Community Emphasis
Pastor Mia C. McGee, Grace to Glory Church Ministries
Dr. Antonio Proctor, Dean Morehouse School of Religion
Pastor, Saint James Baptist Church, Forsyth, Georgia
Youth Ambassadors Dream Keepers
Jyles Zellner, Chairman Men of Empowerment
Martin Luther King Celebration Choir
Christopher Hightower, Founder/Chairperson
THE APPEAL | THE OFFERING Host Pastor James C. Marable, Bethel Baptist Church
Introduction of Speaker
Musical Selections
The Message
Invitation to Christian Discipleship
Music Ministry, Hunter Hill First Baptist Church, Atlanta
Reverend Christopher A. Wimberly, Pastor Hunter Hill First Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia
Pastor James C. Marable
The Unity in the Community Prayer/Benediction Pastor Jimmy Lyons, East Mount Sinai Baptist Church
The Martin Luther King National Holiday Unity in the Community Commemoration
Monday, January 20, 2025
Call to Commemoration
Corporate Scripture Reading
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Psalm 48:1
Invocation Prophetess Sharon King
National Anthem
Litany of Commemoration
National Black Anthem
Welcome
Greetings
Beloved Community Challenge
Beloved Community Challenge
Introduction of Speaker
Mr. Alanzo Respress
Ms. Gloria Fallings, President Lamar County NAACP
Reverend Waylon Knight, Pastor West Mount Sinai Baptist Church
Mr. Hayden Dickerson
Mayor Kathy Buffington City of Milner
Ms. Tara Fletcher
Mrs. Mattie Drake
Mr. Jyles Zellner, Chairman Men of Empowerment
Song Spiritual Culture, Mr. Justice Carter
Speaker Reverend Dee Sidney, Pastor Greater Bethel Community Church, Jackson, Georgia
Remarks
Benediction
Mr. Jyles Zellner
Pastor Dee Sidney
The Reverend Christopher A. Wimberly
The Man
Pastor Christopher A. Wimberly, Sr. is a native of Winder, Georgia. He was born on April 19, 1977 to Deacon Robert and Mrs. Rachel Wimberly. Pastor Wimberly resides in the Metro Atlanta area with his wife, Lady Felicia, their daughter, Jahri; and their son, Christopher, Jr.
The Matriculation
In 1995, Reverend Wimberly graduated from Winder-Barrow High School in Winder, Georgia. He continued his education at Gainesville College in Gainesville, Georgia, where he majored in religion, and at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Religion. He was the recipient of the distinguished Paul A. Anderson Scholarship from White Oak Springs to attend Beulah Heights Bible College in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Ministry
Pastor Wimberly was called by God to preach His Word at the age of 19 and was licensed to preach on April 20, 1997, under the leadership of Pastor Alfred Hazel at White Oaks Springs Baptist Church in Winder. As a member of White Oaks Springs, he served faithfully as musician for the Senior and Youth Adult Choirs, and as the Youth Minister.
It became clear that God’s hand was upon the ministry of this young man’s life. He has traveled the country, from the East coast to the West coast, spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is the spiritual son of Bishop Joseph W. Walker III, Senior Pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Pastor
Pastor Wimberly was called to pastor St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Hartsville, Tennessee the 1st Sunday of November, 1999. He has served as pastor of Hunter Hill First Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia since June of 2004.
The Entrepreneur
His passion for saving lives has also lead him to honoring life. Christopher Wimberly is the owner of the Wimberly Funeral Home in Gainesville, GA. Wimberly Funeral Home, the ultimate provider of creating healing experiences in the community, serves over one hundred families per year in Gainesville and the surrounding communities
The Reverend Dee Sidney
Born to the parentage of Mr. Tony and Mrs. Waskina Sidney, “Dee”, as he is affectionately known, is the youngest of four boys; born in Griffin Ga, however, raised in Forsyth Ga. He attended the public schools of Monroe County and was a member of the 2010 graduating class of Mary Persons High School. While he was very active in many student organizations such as Student Government Association, he was President of the Future Business Leaders of America, and a graduate of Youth Leadership of Monroe County 2010. That’s just to name a few.
Upon graduating high school, he enrolled at Middle Georgia State College where he continued to give his service in student government and was named President of Student African American Brotherhood. Dee has been awarded many community and scholarly awards but his most honorable one is being deemed as an International Hero by the American Red Cross Society
. Dee transferred into Georgia State University, where he studied Political Science Dee has recieved degrees from Andersonville Seminary Theological in Biblical Studies.
He is employed with FuturePlan by Ascensus as a Retirement Plan Consultant, also a Consultant for Sidney & Co., serves as CFO and Co-Founder of SME Investments LLC, and Co-Founder of The Collier-Sidney Foundation.
He has served as Associate Minister of Rock Creek Missionary Baptist Church located in Jackson, Georgia and humbly serves under the leadership of Reverend R.L. Henderson Sr. Dee is also an avid Freemason out of St. Mark Lodge #406 of Jackson Ga and Shriner out of Newnan Temple #9 in which he served as Temple Potentate. Dee is also a Silver Lifetime Member of the NAACP Jackson Butts County Branch #5204.
Dee was called to Pastor on April 1, 2018 and installed as Pastor of The Greater Bethel Community Church of Jackson, Ga on May 27, 2018.
Dee currently sits as a Board Member of the following Organizations: We Are One Organization of Griffin Ga, Henderson School Alumni Association & Trust, Butts County Family Connections Life Enrichment Team, Second Chance Ministries, Griffin Area Habitat for Humanity, United Butts Ministerial Alliance, Concerned Clergy of Butts County Committee. He holds various memberships in many civic and professional organizations such as American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries just to name one.
Dee is married to the love of his life the Honorable Breanna Collier-Sidney, the daughter of Dr. E.F. Collier and First Lady Michelle Collier. Dee & Bre have one beautiful daughter Collier Elan.
Presenting Sponsors
Bentley and Sons Funeral Home, Barnesville, Thomaston, and Woodbury
Bethel Baptist Church, Host Church
James C. Marable, Pastor
Calvary Baptist Church
Reverend Terrence Curtis, Pastor
Goggans Florist
Gordon State College, Youth Ambassadors Dream Keepers Leadership Conference
Dr. Don Green, President
Dr. Brian Merritt, Former Youth Ambassador
Tiffany N. Miller, Former Youth Ambassador
Barbara J. Minter
A Sure One Bonding Company
Ernest Respress, Former Youth Ambassador
Irvin Trice
Trice Funeral Home, Incorporated
Joe Sims, Councilmember City of Barnesville
Men of Empowerment
Martin Luther King Day Commemoration March and Program
Contributing Sponsors
Antioch Baptist Church
Reverend Keith Battle, Pastor
Booker High School
Class of 1970
East Mount Sinai Baptist Church
Reverend Jimmy Lyons, Pastor
Lamar County NAACP
Mayor Kelly Hughes, City of Barnesville, Georgia
Michele A. Simmons, King Celebration Committee Charter Member
Sardis Baptist Church
Reverend Delvrick Ladal Blackmon, Pastor
United Bank
West Mount Sinai Baptist Church
Reverend Waylon T. Knight, Pastor
Sponsors
Mr. Steve and Mrs. Thelma Foster
Mr. Carl and Mrs. Imgard Ogletree
Special Thanks
Irvin Trice and Trice Funeral Home for sponsoring the Unity in the Community Ball. Elder Robert Reynolds and the Christ Anointed Church for the Martin Luther King Day March Hot Beverages. Vulcan for the Martin Luther King Day Lunch.
EVENT BRANDING + GRAPHIC DESIGN BY