HPU to Host MLK Day of Service and Worship Service
High Point University students, faculty and community members are invited to participate in the Martin Luther King Jr. “A Day On, Not a Day Off” on Jan. 17. HPU students helped pack seeds as part of a service project at the 2021 event.
HIGH POINT, N.C., Jan. 10, 2022 – Every year, High Point University students lead the efforts in community service projects for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. The university also invites the community to attend the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Worship Service that morning.
Community members are invited to join HPU students and faculty as they participate in 30 service projects around the city on Jan. 17. You can sign up to participate here.
Community Members are invited to join HPU students in service projects such as:
-150 people packing 28,000 seeds to be distributed to community gardens in the Triad and around the world
– Helping move World Relief of the Triad’s warehouse into a new space
– Cleaning up parks, greenway spaces, a local food pantry and community gardens
– HPU Bonner Leaders hosting their eighth Annual Hunger Banquet
– Volunteers will join HPU’s Student Government Association to host a note writing station thanking first responders for all the work they do.
– 400 students in HPU’s Fellows Programs packing nearly 50,000 meals that will be distributed around the world to reduce hunger. This event is only open to students.
“HPU makes Martin Luther King Jr. Day ‘A Day On, Not a Day Off’ because Dr. King’s legacy demands we serve and love our neighbors,” says Rev. Joe Blosser, executive director of HPU’s Center for Community Engagement. “We honor Dr. King by educating ourselves about what justice demands of us, and by serving with our neighbors to build up the beloved community here in High Point.”
In addition to the service projects, HPU will host multiple educational workshops, speakers and films highlighting Dr. King’s life and legacy.
In 1994, Congress designated a federal holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service – “A Day On, Not a Day Off.”
HPU has taken that charge to heart by leading hundreds of volunteers in service to the city of High Point and surrounding areas each year. In 2021, students, faculty, staff and community members volunteered in many ways across the city. Students and faculty helped pack seeds during the “Packaging Seeds to Share” event, which provided seeds to more than 100 community gardens across Guilford County.
HPU’s Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Worship Service
Community members are invited to attend High Point University’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Worship Service at 11 a.m. in Hayworth Chapel. This event is free and open to the public. This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Elwood Robinson, chancellor of Winston-Salem State University.
“What a gift to have Chancellor Robinson lead us to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy,” says Rev. Dr. Preston Davis, minister to the university. “Dr. Robinson is an admired leader in higher education and our Piedmont Triad community. We are honored that he will be joining us.”
Robinson has written more than 400 scientific publications and presentations, including his short story, titled “Wednesdays and Sundays,” featured in the book “Keeping the Faith: Stories of Love, Courage, Healing and Hope from Black America.” This book won the 2003 NAACP Image Award for Most Outstanding Literary Work, Nonfiction. Robinson has presented his work globally at seminars and workshops in China, Egypt, South Africa and the United States.
Music at the service will be led by Genesis Gospel Choir and guest musicians. Each year, this worship service serves to awaken the faithful witness of Dr. King for our lives here and now.