Community Corner
Hundreds Gather for 25th Annual MLK Day Commemoration
The Presbyterian Church in Westfield hosted the 25th annual Interfaith Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. commemoration service.
Hundreds of community members united to attend the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Interfaith Commemoration Service held at 1 p.m. at the Monday.
Organized by the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Westfield, the event marked the 25th annual silver anniversary of the commemoration service.
The program began with a procession reminiscent of the peaceful marches Dr. King organized in his time. Participants, including Principal Peter Renwick, marched through the downtown carrying signs advocating social justice on their way to the Presbyterian Church.
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Donnell Carr, vice president of the association, felt the program had a good turnout and was pleased to see hundreds of guests gather for the event.
In his welcome, Rev. Michael Samson of the Presbyterian Church stated that it is an “honor” to host the service which is held at a different place of worship in Westfield each year.
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The program featured musical selections by the Interfaith Choir and readings by Rabbi Douglas Sagal of and Reverend Mayra Casteneda of the as well as speeches and presentations by the members of the association.
A Westfield-wide intermediate and elementary school by the association and the winners and their families were in attendance. Elizabeth A. Wolf, who organized the contest, said that there were hundreds of entries this year.
Paige Busse, a fifth grader at , won honorable mention in art for her wood sculpture.
“I was amazed to be a winner,” Busse said.
Cassie Teschner, an eighth grader at , won first place for her poem, “The Loss of Pride.” She said her inspiration for the piece came from thinking about all the people who lose their jobs and never feel the same. This past spring, Teschner also donated $600 of her Bat Mitzvah gifts to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Association.
Rev. Miles Austin, a founder of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Association gave the benediction before “We Shall Overcome” was sung by the congregation. After the service, refreshments donated by , and the Presbyterian Church were enjoyed by the program's attendees.
