ASSEMBLIES OF GOD
Central Assembly Hosts Collaborative Night of Worship for Martin Luther King Jr. Day Weekend
A century after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, social rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. ascended the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered one of the most well-known speeches in history.
Calling for total freedom and complete equality of all Americans, regardless of the color of their skin, “I Have a Dream” was issued as an appeal to end racism, creating a country that was truly united.
Yet just a few years after his famous speech, Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally shot at the age of 39.
In 1983, 15 years after his assassination, Congress declared that a federal holiday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, be celebrated every third Monday in January.
In honor of the holiday and King’s bravery and courage in the face of radical racial discrimination, two churches have joined together to put on an event that celebrates the diversity of the body of Christ.
In 2022, James Bradford, lead pastor of Central Assembly of God (Springfield, Missouri), and T.J. Appleby, lead pastor of Sanctuary of Praise Church of God in Christ, got together to discuss a collaborative night of worship that would demonstrate solidarity as brothers and sisters in Christ and “worship God the way we will in heaven,” says Appleby.
The event took on the name “Together Like Heaven,” and has offered area congregants and churches, regardless of their race or ethnicity, an opportunity to come together in a joint service to worship the Lord, hear from area pastors, and spend time in fellowship as the united bride of Christ.
Its inaugural year, 2023, was held at Sanctuary of Praise and attendees filled the 500 seats of the church’s main sanctuary. The second year, despite a major winter storm, also hosted hundreds of attendees.
This year, due to seating and space, the event was held at Central Assembly of God and saw their sanctuary floor full of men and women of God ready to worship. The service featured a joint choir with members from several congregations, special remarks on the topic of unity from Deliverance Temple and New Mind New Faith Ministries, a special worship dance performance from Covenant of Grace, a video tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., and a word on the power of unity from Washington Avenue Baptist.
Appleby says that the entire night is meant to represent what John wrote of his divine vision in Revelation 7:9 which details a crowd in heaven “from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”
He goes on to say that the “Together Like Heaven” event is another part of making King’s speech and Christ’s prayer for oneness in John 17:21 a true reality.
According to Bradford, the night also represents a sense of unity for Christians from different evangelical denominations.
“We have to remember that although we may have our differences, we have the gospel in common,” he says.
Bradford goes on to say that spending an evening celebrating the progress made since the civil rights movement and acknowledging the value of all image bearers of Christ has been impactful and rewarding.
“Being in His presence as one people who love each other is what honors Jesus and the blood He shed to purchase people from every nation, every tribe, and every skin color,” says Bradford.
Following the service, a reception was held, and time was reserved for conversation and fellowship.
“Sundays are, unfortunately, the most segregated day of the week. The purpose of the reception is for there to be an opportunity for blacks and whites to come into the threshold of a church they’ve never been in before and talk about what they just experienced. When you talk about it immediately afterwards, it solidifies what you just did,” says Appleby.
With Christ at the center and the honoring of a great leader, activist, and man of God, “Together Like Heaven” is what Martin Luther King Jr. likely envisioned when he said:
“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plains and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together…This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning ‘My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father’s died! Land of the pilgrim’s pride! From ev'ry mountainside, let freedom ring!’”
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