Ruby Bridges and Martin Luther King Jr's Legacy

Tomorrow is our annual celebration of the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. During worship we will hear from children at our church about their dreams.

There will be children's books on the subject of MLK JR and the Civil rights movement located around the back of the Great Hall. And there will be ACTIVITY bags for children who would like them during the service.

One book I only recently found is about the incredible story of 6 -year-old Ruby Bridges and her experiences as the only Black child attending a school forced to desegregate in New Orleans in 1960. The Story of Ruby Bridges, by Robert Coles will also be in the back of the Great Hall.

Watch this video interview with the author that has actual clips of Ruby Bridges attending school. It's sobering and sad to see what white adults are saying and doing. Yet, her response is to pray for them, because, she says, "they know not what they do."





Her strength to stand tall in the face of violence and taunting at SIX YEARS OLD came from her family and HER CHURCH. It gives me pause to think, could we do the same? As a church? As a family?

Here is Ruby Bridges speaking about her experience.

Our Whole Lives for kindergarten and first grade.

This year we are adding two more  Our Whole Lives classes for children and youth;  K/1 and 11/12th grade courses. OWL has become a cornerstone in our religious programming. It offers a really terrific curriculum that is life- affirming and science-based in it's approach.

We have two teachers, Joel Best and Dan Bernard, who have recently attended training for the K/1 OWL program. The training focused not only on the information, but considered developmental appropriateness with children. Joel and Dan will be assisted by Tina Dell and Sharon MacNeill;, both of whom are teachers in the K/1 classroom.

The first OWL meeting is mandatory. It's a parent/child orientation that takes place Sunday, January 25 from 10 AM -12:20. Lunch will be provided.

Soon we will be letting you know dates for the Tuesday evening 11th and 12th grade OWL program. That program will be led by Randy Jennings and Mindy Whisenhunt.