Davis & Elkins College is set to observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with a service and celebration held in the Robbins Memorial Chapel on Monday, January 20 at 7:00 p.m. The program, entitled, “All Welcome, All Included: Striving Towards the Beloved Community” is open to all members of the campus and the greater Elkins area.
The Office of the Chaplaincy, responsible for organizing the event, is pleased to present the College’s own Associate Dean of Students, Brian Wilson, as the keynote speaker for the evening.
“I am a relationship person, and I am huge on building connections and forming lasting relationships,” says Wilson. “I was raised, and my wife Tishia and I have raised our children, to see all people as their brothers or sisters and to place the needs of others even above their own. My family and I have been welcomed to D&E, and I am happy to do my part to welcome and include everyone else in our amazing community.”
The program for the evening centers around aligning the College and Elkins communities for an evening of worship and celebration in observation of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Attendees can expect to hear from students, faculty, and staff through poetry, proclamation, and song reflecting on the lasting impact of Dr. King’s life and work.
“Honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and work each year is an important event in the life of Davis & Elkins College,” says Benfield-Vick Chaplain, Dr. Franklin Tanner Capps. “Our rootedness in the American liberal arts tradition and in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) – two institutions committed to forming lives around the values of faith, justice, and love – mean that we share in his hope for realizing ‘the beloved community.’ Given that King’s work grew out of the church, it’s appropriate that we gather to worship on a day set aside for reflecting on his enduring legacy while also challenging ourselves to advance his vision of love and justice through education and service.”
