2nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration: The Power of LOVE!
“Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.” Martin Luther King Jr.
The Oregon Coast Love Coalition (OCLC) invites you to join us for the 2nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. weekend celebrating his message of love, hope and unity, January 13, 14 and 15. The theme for this year is “The Power of LOVE!”
The weekend kicks off on Saturday, January 13th at 4pm with a showing
of the documentary film, “No Joke!” at Nehalem Bay United Methodist
Church, 36050 10th St., Nehalem. The film tells the story of three
clergymen—a Rabbi, an Imam, and a preacher— who forge a lasting
friendship that doesn’t require abandoning the unique beliefs they each hold. These three men have learned the art of “staying in the room with difference,” the deep connection that comes from “being unusually interested in each other,” and the freedom that comes when we “stop comparing my best with your worst.” Following the film, we will share a meal and break bread together. We will then have a discussion using the World Café model: shaping our futures through conversations that matter. The discussion will be moderated by Pastor Steve Wolfe.
On Sunday, January 14th at 6 pm, join us for an evening of storytelling. In “Unsung Heroes: Their Lives, Their Stories” members of our community will take us on a journey into the lives of others who made a substantial impact to the civil rights movement: Ruby Bridges, Bayard Rustin, Fannie Lou Hammer, Howard Thurman, Andrew Goodman, Bernice Fisher, Claudette Colvin, Tracy Sims, Emmett Till, Willa Brown, Ella Baker and Mahalia Jackson. The performance (featuring songs of the movement by LaNicia Williams) will take place at the Hoffman Center of the Arts, 594 Laneda Ave, Manzanita.
We will celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January
15th with a community day of service from 8:30am – 2pm. The Oregon
Coast Love Coalition is partnering with Habitat for Humanity to provide service within our community through Tillamook county Habitat’s Ramps & Rails Program which offers loans to qualifying seniors, people with disabilities, and veterans. For more information on qualifying for a loan through Habitat or having a home serviced, please email Cami Aufdermauer at caufdermauer@tillamookhabitat.org. If you would like to sign up to be a volunteer, please email LaNicia Williams at coastalsoulnw@gmail.com. We will have a continental breakfast for team members at each location. Following work, we will have a community lunch prepared by Chef Jake Burden, owner of Offshore Grill (Rockaway, OR) at Nehalem Bay United Methodist Church, 36050 10th St., Nehalem.
All events are free to the public and family friendly. Our sponsors
include: Columbia Pacific Coordinated Care Organization, Sammy’s Place, Nehalem Bay United Methodist Church, Nehalem Lumber,
Offshore Grill, Cash & Carry, and community and friends of Oregon
Coast Love Coalition.
The Oregon Coast Love Coalition was founded in 2016 by LaNicia
Williams to help create and foster a culture of inclusion in the
communities of the Oregon Coast, so anyone can visit or live here and
be respected regardless of race, economic standing, political or religious background, sexual orientation or disability status. The group is dedicated to creating an environment where differences are set aside for the common denominator of love and community.
