Correspondent photos / Sean Barron Tanaysia Greer of Campbell, an Elizabeth Missionary Baptist Church member, praises God during Sunday’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative interfaith worship service at the Youngstown church.

YOUNGSTOWN — The Rev. Asa Lee added a biblical and modern layer to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous quote, “The time is always right to do what is right.”

“Jesus said, ‘Keep watch; keep your eyes open.’ It’s time to make a difference,” Lee, the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary’s president and professor of theological formation for ministry, said.

Lee delivered the keynote address, “Asleep at the appointed hour,” during the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative interfaith worship service and celebration Sunday afternoon at Elizabeth Missionary Baptist Church, 1210 Himrod Ave., on the East Side.

Hosting the two-hour gathering was the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Planning Committee of the Mahoning Valley.

The underlying thrust behind Sunday’s service was to have those of all faiths and backgrounds come together in a spirit of unity, in large part because King strongly supported inclusion and having all people walk hand in hand with one another, Jaladah Aslam, a committee co-convener, said.

The Rev. J. Dwayne Heard was to have acted as host pastor, but was unable to attend, so the Rev. Kenneth L. Simon, pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Youngstown, acted in that capacity. Simon called King “one of God’s chosen leaders in the civil rights movement.”

Human history is replete with examples of those “apostles” who have been “asleep” while social upheaval was occurring, and we are now in the “appointed hour” to follow Christ’s example and ways to address and tackle today’s injustices, Lee said, adding that they include Christian nationalism, political divisions and discord and dehumanizing others.

Along those lines, Lee read a portion of King’s iconic April 1963 “Letter from Birmingham Jail” that he felt relates to that theme: “When I was suddenly catapulted into the leadership of the (1955) bus protest in Montgomery, Alabama, a few years ago, I felt we would be supported by the white church. I felt that the white ministers, priests and rabbis of the South would be among our strongest allies. Instead, some have been outright opponents, refusing to understand the freedom movement and misrepresenting its leaders; all too many others have been more cautious than courageous, and have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained-glass windows.”

In addition, Lee read from Mark 14:41, which talks about how Christ awakened his disciples for a third time and told them the time for sleeping was over.

In her remarks, Michaela Write, a planning committee member, said King’s vision and dream for fairness, equality and justice has evolved over time to fit and be applied to society’s needs and challenges as they change. That includes today’s use in America of violence and other efforts to silence people into inaction, she said.

“The system that is designed to keep us stuck should amplify our nonviolent fight to be free,” Write said.

The New Testament reading was from Luke 18:1-8, which discusses how a nonbelieving, recalcitrant judge eventually grants justice to a persistent and bothersome widow. The passage illustrates that persistently praying to God shows steadfast faith and trust in his ultimate righteousness, even when answers to prayer seem distant or delayed.

In the first King reading, Ja’Niyah Tate, a Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past member, read an excerpt from a speech King gave in April 1957 in Nashville, Tennessee, titled “The Role of the Church in Facing the Nation’s Moral Dilemma.” In it, King implored the church to act as the moral compass and be proactive in fighting segregation as an immorality that distorts humanity, as well as to encourage Christians to adopt a greater world view, challenge the status quo and heed Christ’s call to liberate those who were oppressed, along with refusing to cooperate with unjust efforts and causes.

The Rev. David Hood, youth pastor with Liberty-based Word and Music Ministries, delivered a second reading in which he read aloud part of the speech “The Three Evils of Society,” which King delivered Aug. 31, 1967, at the National Conference for New Politics in Chicago. King identified the three evils as racism, poverty and militarism and pointed out that they had an interconnectedness, which created a “triple-pronged sickness” to the country’s soul.

King said in part, “When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, economic exploitation and militarism are incapable of being conquered. A civilization can flounder as readily in the face of moral bankruptcy as it can through financial bankruptcy.

“True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It understands that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”

Giving the Hebrew reading was Liron Daniel of the Youngstown Jewish Federation, who said that King reminded others that silence in the face of injustices was tantamount to a type of moral failure. Judaism teaches that all people are made in the image of God, a belief that leaves no room to marginalize or mistreat anyone, she said, adding that it is a moral imperative to stand with those who are being persecuted and treated wrongly.

Near the conclusion of his often fiery address, Lee urged his flock to adhere to the key messages that were central to King’s desire for others. He also encouraged attendees to respond to those who he said have weaponized the term “woke” by asking such people if the alternative of being asleep is more preferable.

Musical selections were from the Elizabeth Missionary Baptist Church’s Praise Team and the Singing Shepherds. The Harambee Youth Organization of Youngstown performed a few colorful dances.