Temple Emanu-El, Haverhill, to Host
Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service
on January 17, 2020, at 7:00 p.m.
Temple Emanu-El of Haverhill will hold its annual Shabbat service honoring the late Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 17, 2020. The Temple is located at 514 Main Street in Haverhill.
“The only cure for fear-hate is love.” (King, July 1962–March 1963).
This annual service in tribute to Dr. King, a joyful musical celebration of freedom and faith, is presented by Temple Emanu-El in partnership with the Calvary Baptist Church, Haverhill.
The service will follow the weekly Sabbath liturgy and will include selected readings from the writings of Dr. King. Cantor Vera Broekhuysen and Rabbinic Intern Jennifer Stevens, both of Temple Emanu-El, will conduct the service; members of the Greater Haverhill Clergy Association will also participate. The Temple Emanu-El Choir, conducted by Cantor Broekhuysen, the Calvary Baptist Church Sanctuary Choir, under the direction of Music Minister Joe DeVoe, and the Bradford Christian Academy High School Choir, under the direction of Gina McKeown, will present musical selections together in celebration of the great civil rights leader.
“Each year,” notes Cantor Broekhuysen, spiritual leader of Temple Emanu-El, “we value this opportunity to come together in shared purpose and celebration as we celebrate Rev. King’s message. The division and discord of these times add urgency to our service. It is absolutely critical for different communities to join voices and hands—to affirm, through our actions, that while fear is contagious, so too is love, and that when we stand together, we stand strong.”
Pastor Kenneth Young of Calvary Baptist Church adds, “The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day gives us a chance to pause and reflect on the powerful work of reconciliation. This joint Shabbat service shows us a fragment of Dr. King's dream. In the words of Rev. Dr. King, ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’”
The service will be followed by an Oneg Shabbat (social hour). Everyone in the community is invited to attend.
About Temple Emanu-El
Temple Emanu-El is a dynamic Reform congregation with a traditional, yet creative, orientation serving a community of diverse needs and backgrounds. Since 1937, members of the Jewish community of Greater Haverhill, the Merrimack Valley, and southern New Hampshire have joined together to express our Jewish identities through worship, education, social action, and friendship. As a congregation, we foster a deep commitment to a Jewish way of life and to the future of our community. For more information about membership, religious school, adult education, and social programs, contact Nancy LaFleur at 978.373.3861 or visit www.TempleEmanu-El.org.