WS Chronicle

The Ministers’ Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity (MCWSV) held their annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship service at St. Paul United Methodist Church on Monday, January 21.  

Even with the subzero temperatures, the large crowd braved the weather to witness the celebration.  The main purpose of the event was to raise funds for the conferences’ MLK scholarships, while also honoring those in the community who best exemplify the qualities of Dr. King.

The award winners for the night were as follows; Rev. Benjamin Humphrey Jr. (Clergy Award), Rep. Evelyn Terry (Social Justice Award), Sweet Potatoes Restaurant (Culinary Arts Award), Rev. Reginald McCaskill (Entrepreneur and Business Owner Award) and Rev. Dr. Lamonte Williams (Past President Award).

Rev. Alvin Carlisle, senior pastor of Exodus Baptist Church, 2nd vice-president of the MCWSV and president of the local NAACP chapter, delivered the sermon during the service.  His charge was for the community to continue the work Dr. King initiated, because the fight is not over.

“I just felt this is the time and the hour for us to pick up and continue the work that Dr. King has done and the time is right for us to see real change,” Carlisle said of what inspired his sermon Monday night.

Carlisle said Dr. King day is always a “great day, but a long day” and enjoys all the aspects of the celebrations.  He says he enjoys being able to close out such a great day, while helping to assist more kids get into college.

During the service, a special offering is collected that will go directly to the scholarship fund.  This year the conference raised $4,428 that will be added to what the conference already had in its scholarship account.  

The conference has a goal to reach $15,000 in scholarships this year.  Tembila Covington, president of the MCWSV, says they are “well on their way” to reaching their goal and the service was a great way to end such a great day.

“I think the service went well, I think everyone came together looking for a way to get involved with the conference and other things in the community,” said Covington.  “I feel people came interested in knowing how they could get better involved and people showed up with their money to put towards the scholarships.”

Covington said she was “elated” to have as much as they already have in the scholarship account, but to reach their goal of $15,000 would be fantastic.  “Our goal is $15,000, but I believe we will surpass that, which means many lives are going to be changed and we are going to be able to sow into the lives of many high school graduates.”

The importance of the scholarship fund cannot be overstated, said Covington.  Throughout her time with the conference, Covington has seen hundreds of teens benefit from the scholarships and enjoys seeing the teens come back to tell their success stories.

“This is a great starter for a young person as they are headed to college, whether it’s a four year or two-year institution, it gives them the opportunity to have a little extra cash so they can go about getting books and school supplies,” she said.  “This scholarship has really been impactful, because that money goes a long way for them and we are very excited to help others the best way we can.”