Community charged to use influence to uplift others
Every year to wrap up the Dr. Martin Lither King Jr. Prayer Breakfast, the attendees are charged to make a sacrifice to uplift our community and make it a better place for everyone to live, work, and play. During this year’s event held on Monday, Jan. 20, at the Benton Convention Center, Pastor Tembila Covington encouraged the greater Winston-Salem community to reach out to those in need, speak truth to power, and help move those who need it most toward economic stability.
Covington, who is the pastor of Crossing Red Sea Ministries in Rockingham and president of the Ministers’ Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity, said while many have benefitted from Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement, many in our communities have been left behind and it’s time we do something about it. She said, “The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King talked about a check that had not been cashed; however, over the years some have received and benefited from those checks. And some who have taken part in receiving those checks have done good to benefit themselves to grow and become great influencers, but they left their communities, leaving behind those who need that economic support and development.
“The charge today would be while we have been able to benefit, we have gone away from our homes and it’s time for us to go back to our communities and take charge of what God has given us to do and lead our people to a place they as well can find economic security, they want to find the education,” Covington continued. “I charge you to go back to those communities and tell the testimonies that you have long forgotten about, of how you came over before you got to where you are, so that we can begin to connect, build up, and empower one another and go forth to a land of economic sustainability and a land of freedom.”
Following her call to action, the mixed crowd of elected officials, clergy, business owners, students, and countless others stood to their feet and applauded. While making her way to the parking deck, one attendee said she hoped everyone in attendance heard what Pastor Covington was saying. She said, “Everything she said was the God-honest truth. There are people in this community who have the means to make a difference, but they don’t because they don’t feel it impacts them, but we have to get away from that.
“Just like the pastor said, it’s time for us to come together and work toward a common goal.”
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast is hosted annually on the third Monday in January to honor the legacy of Dr. King and his contributions to society. The event is hosted by The Chronicle and The Ministers’ Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity.
