The Rev. Dr. William Barber Jr. had the audience on their feet Sunday, telling them sometimes, they just have to say, "Yes."
Barber named the nation's triple threat of racism, war and economic difficulties as the reasons people need to come together and say "Yes" when God asks them to act.
"With all the work that needs to be done, somebody's got to say, 'yes,'" Barber said, drawing a concurring response from the crowd.
The people were gathered at First Baptist Church in Hickory to remember Martin Luther King Jr., his legacy and dream and look to the future.
"Martin Luther King Jr. was a great man who didn't deserve to die," said Juanita Reid, of Hickory. "All the things we went through, all the things he did, and we still have racism in America.
"If mankind would get up and come together as one, then we'd have what they fought for," she continued.
The answer, Barber told the crowd, is in accepting challenges when they come our way.
"In all our lives, we come to places where we have to say, 'yes,'" Barber said. "That's where we have our mettle tested, our character is molded and a choice is made."
Barber used King as an example of a person who said 'yes," and continued his belief in civil disobedience until his death April 4, 1968.
The event began with a call to worship, ending with "Make us one, O God, that many might be the ties that bind, the wounds that mend and the dreams that come to pass," a focus, given by the Rev. Deborah McEachran of First Presbyterian Church, that centered on remembering the man who "had a dream to bring all people together in mutual respect and love," and a list of affirmations, delivered by the Rev. Reggie Longcrier of Exodus Missionary Outreach, echoing some of King's writings.
Barber roused the crowd with his sermon, calling all to action to make King's 40-year-old dream come true.
"But it will take work," he warned. "We have to stay engaged, and pray for the public to stay together and pray together."
The offering from the afternoon went to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
The local Junior NAACP will hold its annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at Lenoir-Rhyne University, starting at 10 a.m. today. Attendees will walk from the university to the Ridgeview Recreation Center.
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