2025 Morehouse College 39th MLK Jr. College of Ministers & Laity Program
39th martin luther king jr. College of Ministers & Laity
“ embodying liberational democracy while thriving in the wake of cosmic trauma”
Thursday, April 10, 2025
11 a.m.
benjamin elijah mays induction crown forum
Thursday, April 10, 2025
4 p.m.
antisemitism and racism: past, present & future
Thursday, April 10, 2025
7 p.m.
worldhouse peace assembly
39th martin luther king jr. College of Ministers & Laity
“Embodying Liberational Democracy While Thriving in the Wake of Cosmic Trauma”
president david anthony thomas, ph.d. the reverend dean lawrence edward carter sr., ph.d.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Thursday, April 10
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Inductee Orientation and Guided Tour: International Hall of Honor Crown Nave and Chapel Library Inductees Only*
11:00 am – 12:00 p.m.
Benjamin Elijah Mays Crown Forum, MLK Jr. Induction Ceremony, Historic Photograph & Portrait Induction
speaker :
The Reverend Keyon S. Payton, D.Min. ’01 Founder and President, The Institute of Trauma and Economic Justice
“Confronting our Collective Traumas by Building the Beloved Community”
location :
Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Crown Nave
Open to the public
12:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Honoree Luncheon by Invitation Only*
4:00 p.m. – 5:00pm
Antisemitism and Racism: Past, Present & Future
speaker :
Anat Sultan-Dadon, Consul General of Isreal to the Southeastern United States
Don Wilker, Regional Director, American Jewish Committee and the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s National Director for Black Jewish Relations
Tamer Masudin, Israeli Bedouin, Journalist, Educator, and Fulbright Scholar
location :
Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Crown Nave
5:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
Chapel Assistants Thurman Thursday Dialogue on “Pastoral Succession”
featured guests :
The Reverend Reginald Wayne Sharpe Jr. (Ph.D.) ’13, & The Reverend Dr. Charles Jenkins
Senior Pastor and Pastor Emeritus, Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, Chicago, Ill.
moderator :
Mr. D’Marre Justin Lamar Craddock ’25
39th President, Martin Luther King Jr.
Chapel Assistants Program
location :
Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Crown Nave
Open to the public
7:00 p.m.
World House Peace Assembly and Portrait Inductions
“Nonviolent Peace for Human Rights”
location :
Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Crown Nave Open to the public
March 31 – April 14, 2025
“Bearing Witness to the Holocaust: Remembering, Representing, Reframing”
location :
Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Lobby Open to the public
Welcome from the President
What a pleasure it is to welcome you to the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel and the 39th Martin Luther King Jr. College of Minister and Laity at Morehouse College. Since my arrival, much has changed at Morehouse, in the nation, around the world, and beyond. These are challenging times, and thanks to the support of so many, Morehouse is transforming itself to transform the world.
Led by the 45-year commitment and visionary leadership of the Reverend Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., founding dean of the Chapel, professor of religion and curator of the College, the edifice you are in has also experienced a magnificent transformation. There are more enhancements on the horizon and Morehouse owes a debt of gratitude to the vibrant leadership and the enduring legacy that Dean Carter is demonstrating. Each honoree and attendee at this celebration is reaping the benefit of the keen and watchful gaze of our beloved dean and I offer a personal word of thanks for his extraordinary contributions. His staff and other Morehouse team members have contributed tirelessly to make this time rememberable.
Congratulations to the exemplary Class of 2025 honorees and inductees. We are exceptionally honored to confer the, “Embodying Liberational Democracy While Thriving in the Wake of Cosmic Trauma.”
There are too many donors to thank for the financial support that undergirds the restoration of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel and the expanded programming made possible by the upgrades and improvements to this historic College Treasure. Morehouse is grateful to everyone who energetically supports the Chapel’s incredibly important work to foster sustainability, peace, understanding, and equity in the world.
Thank you for your continuing support and engagement as the legacy continues.
Sincerely,
David A. Thomas, Ph.D. Twelfth President, Morehouse College
From the Dean of Chapel
FROM THE DEAN OF CHAPEL
Welcome from the Dean
We extend a warm welcome to all who learn, evolve, reveal, worship, dedicate, and aspire in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. Our purpose as an intentional spiritual community is to be a living environment for individuals to realize that they are unique emanations of God, the love-intelligence governing the Omniverse. We embody an understanding of our oneness with God, and we consciously practice this truth in our everyday lives. Through the wisdom-agency of normative cosmopolitan personalist virtue-ethical optional technologies, and the energy of unconditional love, we are committed to individual and environmental transformation, and to being a beneficial presence in the cosmos. Simply, we are here for God!
It is our hope that this experience of awareness, prayer, praise, prophetic and pastoral preaching, praxis, and philosophy will greatly enrich your life and bring you into a meaningful connection with God, nature, and people in a holistic understanding of Christian cosmology as moral cosmopolitans and cosmic citizens.
Historically Black churches and historically Black colleges, with chapels, appeared from the mind of Black and White northern and southern freedom loving abolitionists, as the strongest way to fight racial oppression, promote Reconstruction, and champion the Judeo-Christian social gospel. This tradition affirmed the dignity, sacred personhood, creativity, and moral agency of enslaved Africans, and launched a new liberal liberationist abolitionism with an advanced role for the Black church, fresh from the freedom spaces of Brush and Hush Harbors, and the celebratory sounds, symbols, and traditions of West Africa, in response to the tragedy of American legal slavery.
The Crown Forums, the First Year Assemblies and the Vesper Hours address the deepest aspirations of the human spirit, that transcend needs, pain, suffering, and death. In so doing, they seek to affirm and enliven whatever may be the religious orientation, which gives meaning and richness to your life, and deepen the authentic lines along which your quest for spiritual reality has led you. Your time in the College Chapel is an hour of challenge, critique, responsibility, dedication, evaluation, obligation, stimulation, and a commitment to actualizing potentials, as you consider the issues affecting the sacredness of our common humanity and autonomy competency. The Chapel is a symbol of the intent of Morehouse College to recognize spirituality—sustainable cooperation, justice—as fundamental to the human experience.
We look hopefully toward our common future with the informed expectation that your participation during this day, and ongoing activities emerging from your diverse, but conscientious perspectives, will creatively transform the Cosmos in just and nonviolent ways. Peace is Possible!
Sincerely,
Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., 33˚Ph.D., D.D., D.H., D.R.S., D.H.C., MULT.
Founding Dean of the Chapel, Professor of Religion, College Archivist and Curator Founder, Gandhi-King-Ikeda-Mandela Institute for Cosmopolitan Ethics and Reconciliation Chairman, Howard Thurman Spiritual Educational Trust Co-Founder, Covenant
The Magic of the Ben Ben Stone
It was the tendency of the ancient monument-builders of the Nile to codify their symbolic teachings in stone. Thus, for those who knew the “language,” the physical structure and placement of a monument, temple, or other sacred building unveiled a deeper story.
The Ben Ben, or “obelisk,” was such a significant monument that, during the New Kingdom (1580-1200 BC), it came to symbolize Kemit itself. The Ben Ben was clearly a sun and light symbol, dedicated to Ra, embodying the transcendence immanent in Ra’s Light. The Ben Ben’s soaring lines were meant to evoke this transcendence and its connection to the solar light was imbued in the capstone or pyramidion, coated in a gold-silver alloy called nubhedj (“electrum”), with a brilliant reflection could be seen 50 miles away on a clear day.
The term Ben Ben is a doubling of the old Kamite word ben meaning “man, phallus, beget.” It is the source of the Hebrew ben or Arabin ibn meaning “son of.” The ancient Nile dwellers clearly understood that the rays of the sun fructified the earth and all life upon it and therefore made that all important heavenly body the archetypal symbol of the Heavenly Father whom they called Ra. The Ben Ben, though, is more than a mere “phallic symbol”; it is a sign of the sun (or Ra’s) fructifying light-ray materialized in granite.
In the mind of the ancient priests of the Nile, light, consciousness, and understanding were synonymous. Thus, the Ben Ben codified the process of enlightenment, achieved through the correct acquisition of knowledge and the slow revelation of cosmic wisdom. Under such influence, dark mysteries and unexamined secrets were made manifest.
The Ben Ben yet retains its power to inspire the imagination, and to encapsulate transcendence. Again and again, the modern architect re-erects obeliscoid forms because the elegant, geometric harmony of the Ben Ben speaks a language that continually excites the creative instincts of man. Time and again, we return to this ancient architectural form not because we lack other models, but because it expresses for us the cosmic imperative of our indwelling spirit. Through the Ben Ben, we pay homage to the Light Bringer, the Father of All, and the best of His Creation.
by Charles Sumner Finch III, M.D. Former Director of International Programs, Morehouse School of Medicine
Howard Washington Thurman
Memorial
The Howard Washington Thurman Memorial obelisk on the campus of Morehouse College is a celebration of the process of enlightenment, achieved through the deliberate acquisition of knowledge, understanding, and the slow revelation of cosmic wisdom.
The monument rises in the shadow of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel, marking the resting place of Thurman, a 1923 graduate and nationally respected theologian who was considered a forerunner in the religious movement of celebrating
the unity of all people, and embracing a religious spirituality that was intercultural, interracial, interdenominational, and international.
During its heyday (1580-1200 B.C.), the obelisk was a sun and light symbol, embodying the transcendence immanent in God’s light. The obelisk remains a symbol of man’s creativity and wisdom. At Morehouse, the monument serves as a beacon for scholarly pursuits, visionary leadership, compassionate service, and a worldview that inspires positive change.
Benjamin Elijah Mays Induction Crown Forum
The Reverend Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr. Presiding Founding Dean of the Chapel, Professor of Religion, and Curator 11 a.m.
prelude
processional
call to a ssembly and introductions
the charge to the inductees
Robert Anda
Ovester Armstrong
Tony Lamair Burks II
Darryl Troveno Canady
L. Whitney Clayton
Ty-Ron Douglas
Mohammed Ali Elahi
introduction of speaker
world house a nthem
a ddress
portrait unveiling
college hymn
“Chorale in E”” Arr. Gordan Young
“March of the Priests” Arr. Felix Mendelssohn
2025 CLASS OF INDUCTEES
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. BOARD OF PREACHERS, SPONSORS, AND COLLEGIUM OF SCHOLARS
Dee Foster
Sydney Freeman Jr.
Andrew Galt IV
John Fitzgerald Gates
Ronald Gunnell
Lance Hilton
Andre J. Lewis
Connie Smith-Lindsay
Robert Sherman McCathern
Maria Muzik
David R. Peoples
Christopher Rhodes
Jeff Seebeck
Adam Smith
Mitchell J. Stevens
“See the Victory Before Us and Walk On” Words & Music by Dr. Uzee Brown Jr. ’72
s pecial video p resentation
“Confronting our Collective Trauma by Building the Beloved Community”
The Reverend Dr. Clay Evans Founder
The Historic Fellowship Missionary Baptitst Church Chicago, Ill.
“And Then Shall the Trumpets Sound”
“Dear Old Morehouse” J.O.B. Mosley ’29
David Edward Morrow, DMA ’80 Professor, Chair of the Music Department, Director of the Glee Club
David Francis Oliver, DMA Morehouse College Organist
David Francis Oliver, DMA
Dr. Oliver
The Reverend Dean Carter
Dean Carter
Gloria Lawson Sylvester
David Anthony Thomas
Garland S. Thompson
Corrina Trantham
Angela Farris Watkins
Charles Williams II
Rommell Williams Jr.
Theodore R. Williams Sr.
Dr. David Anthony Thomas 12th President, Morehouse College
Morehouse College Glee Club
The Reverend Dr. Keyon S. Payton ’01 Founder and President , The Institute of Trauma and Economic Justice
Dean Carter
CHARGE TO THE 2025 CML INDUCTEES
Iam pleased today to induct you into the Morehouse College Judeo-Christian Social Gospel tradition –founded in 1867 by William Jefferson White, greatly enhanced by William Edward Burghardt DuBois, John Hope, Mordecai Wyatt Johnson, Benjamin Elijah Mays, Howard Washington Thurman, and widely acclaimed during the nonviolent prophetic Civil Rights Movement, led by Martin Luther King Jr.
As members of the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers, Board of Sponsors, and Collegium of Scholars, you join a pantheon of adaptive leaders whose virtue ethical, spiritual, and moral example has helped change the world. Among them: Henry Lyman Morehouse, Adam Daniel Williams, Hugh Morris Gloster, Martin Luther King Sr., Floyd McKissick, Samuel Woodrow Williams, Thomas Kilgore Jr., James Madison Nabritt, and William Holmes Broders Sr.
I charge you, therefore, to follow in their footsteps – and do greater things – as affirmative, appreciative, coherently critical and engaged role models for this generation, always remembering that our vision is the creation of an inclusive, global, dignitarian society in which the full development of each individual’s potential is realized.
Further, I charge you to be faithful servant scholar leaders, guarantors of continuity, celebrators of change, negotiators of structure, facilitators of meaning, practitioners of cosmopolitan ethics, and co-creators of the Beloved Economic Political Cosmic WorldHouse Community, to the end that we will right the age-old wrongs that continue to haunt the American people and others around the world.
Finally, I charge you to use your time, talent, tender and technology to help usher in an age of humanity maturity, peace, and nonviolence for the children of the world, to raise another generation of ethically inspired leaders committed to building a radically inclusive perspective.
In token of our hope and confidence in you, we present these citations, which list 49 cosmopolitan virtue ethical options by which Martin Luther King Jr. and many Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, Christians, Sikhs, Scientists and Secular Humanists live their lives and transform society.
Testifying to this investiture, and in witness whereof under the seals of the College and the Chapel, the signatures of duly authorized officers are hereunto affixed, this 10th day of April 2025, Per Dominum Nostrum Jesum Christum.
Martin Luther King Jr. 2025 BOARD OF PREACHERS Inductees
Ovester Armstrong
Mohammed Ali Elahi
David R. Peoples
Charles Williams II
Tony Lamair Burks II
Andrew Galt IV
Christopher Rhodes
Rommell Williams Jr.
Darryl Troveno Canady
Andre J. Lewis
Mitchell J. Stevens
Theodore R. Williams Sr.
Robert Sherman McCathern
Garland S. Thompson
Martin Luther King Jr. 2025 BOARD OF SPONSORS Inductees
Martin Luther King Jr.
2025 COLLEGIUM OF SCHOLARS Inductees
L. Whitney Clayton
Connie-Smith Lindsay
Dee Foster
Ronald Gunnell
Jeff Seebeck
Lance Hilton
Adam Smith
Gloria Lawson Sylvester
Robert Anda
Maria Muzik
Ty-Ron Douglas
David Anthony Thomas
Sydney Freeman Jr.
Corrina Trantham
John Fitzgerald Gates
Angela Farris Watkins
The Reverend Dr. Keyon S. Payton ’01
National Leader in Trauma-Informed Ministry, ACEs Expert, Community Advocate biography
The Reverend Dr. Keyon S. Payton is a transformative force in both the faith community and public health sectors. With over two decades of pastoral leadership, including his current role as the lead pastor of New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Pontiac, Michigan, Dr. Payton has pioneered a trauma-informed approach to ministry that has redefined the church’s role in addressing community health crises. His expertise in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma-informed care has made him a soughtafter national speaker, educator, and consultant.
A master trainer in ACEs, Dr. Payton works with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), where he facilitates programs that equip faith leaders, clinicians, and communities to better understand and address the lifelong impacts of trauma. His knowledge and experience have also earned him a seat on the Michigan Prevention and Wellness Advisory Board and the National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Network (CTN) Policy Advisory Committee, further demonstrating his credibility and influence in both public health and faith-based initiatives.
Dr. Payton’s passion for healing is personal. In his widely praised interviews and presentations, he speaks openly about overcoming his own childhood trauma, using these experiences to connect deeply with audiences and inspire action. His work blends theology, psychology, and social justice, bridging the gap between faith and mental health in a way that is both practical and profound. Through his partnership with the University of Michigan’s Zero to Thrive Program, he is spearheading a groundbreaking
pilot program that addresses ACEs and childhood sexual abuse in Black and urban communities, focusing on healing and prevention.
A graduate of Morehouse College, Dr. Payton’s educational journey and leadership have earned him respect from community leaders, politicians, and academics alike. His initiatives with the Institute for Trauma and Economic Justice (ITEJ) aim to address structural adversity, particularly within Black communities. In his role as the National Social Justice Commission Chairman for the National Baptist Convention of America, Dr. Payton continues to be a voice for justice, equity, and healing.
Dr. Payton’s workshops and keynote addresses are not just presentations—they are deeply engaging, transformative experiences. His empathetic, relatable style allows him to connect with diverse audiences, whether he’s speaking to congregations, health professionals, or policy leaders. His ability to distill complex issues into actionable strategies makes his sessions indispensable for organizations seeking to create real, sustainable change.
With his profound insights, proven track record, and national influence, Rev. Dr. Keyon S. Payton is not only worth every dollar invested—he brings exceptional value that far exceeds typical speaker fees. His unmatched expertise in trauma, combined with his faith-driven approach, ensures that participants will leave equipped, inspired, and ready to make a difference. Investing in Dr. Payton means investing in the future of trauma-informed care, community health, and spiritual leadership.
organ prelude
piano prelude
call to a ssemble
musical selection
WorldHouse Peace Assembly
The Reverend Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., Presiding Dean of the Chapel, Professor of Religion, Archivist, and Curator
7 p.m.
"O God, Our Help in Ages Past" Arr. David F. Oliver
“Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” Ode to Joy, Ludwig Van Beethoven Setting by Joel Raney
“Rockin’ Jerusalem” Arr. Damon Dandridge
the tabernacle choir with the morehouse and spelman glee clubs at morehouse college [ video presentation]
“Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” Words by Robert Robinson Music by John Wyeth
the i nternational h all of honor portrait u nveilings
The Reverend Dr. Timothy Flemming Sr. ’86
Dr. June Gary Hopps
Trustee Emeritus C. David Moody Jr. ’78
The Reverend Dr. E. Dewey Smith Jr. ’93
The Reverend Michael A. Walrond Jr. ’93
“Then Shall the Trumpet Sound”
Dr. David Oliver
Dr. Marva Griffin Carter and Pastor Clariece Paulk
The Reverend Dean Carter Sr.
Morehouse College Glee Club
Dr. Mark Wilberg Music Director
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square
Dr. David E. Morrow
Dr. Kevin Johnson
Associate Professor of Music Glee Club Director, Spelman College
postlude
“Lift Every Voice and Sing” Arr. David F. Oliver Dr. Oliver
David Edward Morrow, DMA ’80 Professor, Chair of the Music Department, Director of the Glee Club
David Francis Oliver, DMA Morehouse College Organist
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. INTERNATIONAL CHAPEL
CHAPEL ASSISTANTS
For 44 years, one of the signature initiatives of the Chapel has been The Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Assistants program. This student organization is open to all who seek to be stretched and strengthened in their faith, engaged in dialogue and action on issues of social justice and human rights, and oriented to the diversity of spiritual perspectives that comprise our Great “World House” concept for wholeness and healing. The Chapel Assistants Program is open to students of all majors and career interests; however, a particular focus is given to those who are discerning vocational callings in lay or ordained ministry and scholarship in the theological academy. The Chapel Assistants Program offers a host of rich experiences and opportunities including: Thurman Thursdays each week at 5:30 p.m. in the Chapel Library; Sermon Talkback Sessions following each Sunday Vesper service; Monthly Sandy F. Ray Preaching Laboratory Sessions; participation in the Festival of Young Preachers; Interfaith Immersion Weekends and Pilgrimages; Ministry in the Arts; Seminary Swing Tours; and, summer internship placements.
Programs & Opportunities for Becoming Ambassadors of Cosmic Peace by Embodying King’s World House Values:
thurman thursdays
Thursdays | 5:30 p.m.
Join the chapel assistants each Thursday for dynamic theological table talks on issues ranging from politics to religion, ethical formation, vocational discernment, leadership development, interfaith engagement and church administration.
sunday vespers
Sundays | 5:30 p.m.
Each Sunday during the semester, join the chapel assistants, the King Chapel Gospel Choir (KCGC) and other Atlanta University Center students, staff and faculty for worship. Preachers include alumni clergy, special guests and select chapel assistants who have preached in the Sandy F. Ray Preaching Lab and or at the Academy of Preachers.
worldhouse academy
The WorldHouse Academy seeks to “deepen the faith of young people by helping them think theologically about their lives as well as the challenges faced by our global community” and “to identify and cultivate a cadre of theologically minded youth who will become leaders in church
and society.”’ The WorldHouse Academy, a youth theological institute that will develop the capacity of high school youth to comparatively and substantively engage the texts. traditions, commitments and histories of the religious communities of their formation; employ critical tools to conduct theological and ethical analysis of current events and the world around them; examine various models of religious vocation and professional theological engagement and, prepare to successfully matriculate as an undergraduate student in a liberal arts institution, particularly Morehouse College and other historically black colleges and universities, with a commitment to robust interdisciplinary preparation for graduate and professional education, hopefully leading to theological and religious vocations.
interfaith assembly
The Gandhi. King, Ikeda Institute for Cosmopolitan Virtue Ethics and Reconciliation at Morehouse College hosts the annual WorldHouse Interfaith Assembly, a supportive and tangible expression of the global movement for peace and nonviolence through the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. We model and teach activism. Nonviolence, optimism and populism in the spirit of Mohandas Karamchand “Mahatma” Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. ’48 and Daisaku lkeda promoting a holistic vision for the growth, health, safety and wellbeing of our beloved evolving world cosmos. Our vision is the creation of a cosmopolitan society in which the full development of everyone’s potential is the central goal.
the howard thurman spiritual and educational trust
Transferred from the Howard Thurman educational Trust (HTET) formed in 1961 in San Francisco, California to Morehouse College in 2009. The HTET was renamed the I-Ioward Thurman Spiritual Educational Trust October 2018. The Trust was established for religious, charitable, scientific, literary, or educational purposes and for the presentations on cruelty to children or animals. Primary activities of the Trust are to support student educational. international, and cultural programs. The Howard Thurman Crown Forum is hosted by the Chapel annually in November as close as possible to the birthdate of Dr. Thurman, November 18, 1899.
the
howard thurman honors program
The Morehouse College Honors Program was renamed the Howard Thurman Honors Program in 2019. The Honors Program is a member of the National Collegiate Honors Council. an international community of educational institutions, professionals, and students who are passionate about advancing honors education in diverse settings yielding a global perspective, and a unified voice in support of honors in the classroom and around the campus. A member of the Morehouse Class of 1923, Howard Washington
Thurman remains one of the College‘s most prolific scholars and academicians.
sandy f. ray preaching lab
Are you looking to hone your preaching skills? As “iron sharpens iron,” the Sandy F. Ray Preaching Lab offers chapel assistants the opportunity to deliver a sermon throughout the year for advice and constructive criticism from peers and seasoned homileticians.
festival of young preachers and the academy of preachers (Fall Semester Annually)
Each fall, chapel assistants and other aspiring preachers sign up and participate in the annual festival. Participants receive coaching and review of their sermon manuscripts in preparation for a select group to participate in the National Festival of Young Preachers sponsored by the Academy of Preachers.
ministry in the arts
The Chapel offers talented men and women the opportunity to lend their voices, talents and gifts in worship through spoken word, dance, vocal and instrumental presentations, drama and visual arts.
seminary swing
The Chapel Assistants program holds a longstanding tradition of preparing its members for theological education on the graduate level. This preparation is due in part to the annual Seminary Swing trip which offers chapel assistants the opportunity to experience student life at schools such as Harvard Divinity School, Yale Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary, Union Theological Seminary, University of Chicago, Boston University, Duke University, Drew University, Southern Methodist University, and Vanderbilt University.
summer internships
The Chapel Assistants Summer Internship Program was established in 2013 as a pilot program of the “WorldHouse Initiative Realized.” The aim of the Chapel Assistants Summer Internship Program is to develop a formal structure for the historically informal and relational process of students identifying and securing summer ministerial internships in congregational contexts.
martin luther king jr . college of pastoral leadership
The College of Pastoral Leadership (CPL) builds on the Chapel’s 43-year, internationally recognized legacy of delivering ecumenical spiritual and vocational education to provide a year- long professional development program that advances the goal to nurture a new generation of highly talented and religiously committed leaders for church and society. The CPL provides programming and mentoring to help early career pastors and students develop as 21st century moral cosmopolitan leaders.
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. SCHOLARS
J’Kharious Nkosi Ajanku*
Renard Darnell Allen
Gerard A. Ancrum
Ernest Andrew Brooks III
Gabriel Denard Cloud
Delman Lamont Coates
Jawanza Karriem Colvin
Elexzar Conley*
Brandon Thomas Crowley
Devon Jerome Crawford
D’Marre Justin Lamar Craddock
Brian Russel Davis
Julian Michael DeShazier
Willie Dwayne Francois III
Tiant D’Andre Holloway
JaParis Xavier Key
Brandon Lamar Jackson
Kevin Rae Miles Johnson
Hassan Xavier Henderson-Lott
Lester Agyei McCorn
Tyrone Emmanuel McGowan
David Malcolm McGruder
Rashad Raymond Moore
Echol Lee Nix Jr.
Donavan Jamal Pinner
George Anthony Pratt
Winford Kennadean Rice
Joseph Carlos Robinson
Kevin Kitrell Ross
Samuel T. Ross-Lee
Willie J. Seals Jr.
Michael A. Walrond Jr.
Raphael Gamaliel Warnock
Tyler Micah Washington
Beryl Monroe Whipple
Demetrius M.T. Ziegler
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. INTERNATIONAL CHAPEL ASSISTANTS PROGRAM
Carl H. Lane ’81
Gregory George Groover Sr. ’83
Rufus Michael Mosby ’84
Phillip Cusic ’85
Steven Carson ’85
Timothy Alan Williams ’87
Anthony Lindberg Bennett ’88
Samuel Thomas Ross-Lee ’88
Raphael Gamaliel Warnock ’91
Amos Byron Coleman ’93
Micheal Anthony Walrond Jr. 93
Delman Lemont Coates ’95
DeQuincy Manvel Hentz ’96
Jawanza Karriem Colvin ’97
Russel Erich Caufield ’98
Kevin Nelson ’98 (CAU)
Heather L. Johnson ’99 (SC)
Nicholas Scott Turner ’00
Demetrius Melic Zeilger ’03
Vincent Malowry Jones, Jr.’04
Gregory David Jackson ’05
Charles Benjamin Houston ’06
Renard Darnell Allen Jr. ’07
Willie Dwayne Francois III ’09
Tyrone Emmanuel McGowan Jr. ‘10
Rashad Raymond Moore ’12
Reginald Wayne Sharpe, Jr. ’13
*2024-2025 Scholarship Recipient *Current President
PRESIDENTS
Winford Kennedean Rice ’14
Devon Jerome Crawford ’15
Christopher Anthony McCroy ’16
Ja’Paris Xavier Key ’17
Tiant D’Andre Holloway ’18
Timothy Michael Browning ’19
Spencer Alexandria Nabors ’C20 (SC)
Donavan Jamal Pinner ’20 ”20
Gabriel Dennard Cloud ’21
Tyler Micah Washington ’23
Elijiah Jahaad Tivon Waller ’24
D’Marre Justin Lamar Craddock ’25*
Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel
Timeline Morehouse College
chapel mission and programming MISSION
To develop transforming nonviolent ambassadors of peace to reveal and co-create the “Beloved World Economic Community” as a reflection or mirror of the social justice of Jesus.
IMPACT
45 years of growth and expansion; 1500+ program participants
THE GREAT WORLDHOUSE Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel
The Reverend William Jefferson White, D.D. (Hon.) ’11 Founder of Morehouse College
Willie Edward Woods, M.B.A. ’85 Chairman, Board of Trustees
Delman L. Coates, Ph.D., ’95 Chairman, Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Trustee Committee
David Anthony Thomas, Ph.D., M.B.A., M.Phil. Twelfth President of Morehouse College
The Reverend Robert Michael Franklin Jr. ’75, Ph.D., D.D., D.H.L. President Emeritus
Walter Eugene Massey ’58, Ph.D., D.S., D.Hum., Ed.D., D.H.C., Mult. President Emeritus
Leroy Keith Jr., Ph.D. ’61 President Emeritus
Hugh Morris Gloster Sr. ’31, Ph.D., Ll.D., D.H.L., Litt.D., D.H.C., Mult. President Emeritus and Founder of the King Chapel
The Reverend Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., 33° Ph.D., D.D., D.H., D.R.S, D.H.C., Mult. Dean of the Chapel, Professor of Religion, College Archivist, and Curator
The Reverend Quincy James Rineheart, (Ph.D.) Associate Dean of Chapel Relations
The Reverend Timothy Williams, D.Min. ’87 Assistant Dean of Campus Ministry
Mrs. Kimberly Gaines Wigley Executive Assistant to the Dean
Guy Edward Mitchell Audio/Visual Technology Support
David Francis Oliver, D.M.A. College Organist
Marva Griffin Carter, Ph.D. Music Consultant and Pianist
The Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Trustee Committee Members
Willie E. Woods ’85 Chairman (Ex Officio)
Harold V. Bennett
David A. Thomas (Ex Officio)
Lawrence Edward Carter Sr.
Charles David Moody Jr. ’78
Otis Moss III ’92
Delman L. Coates ’95 Chair
Quincy James Rineheart
The Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Assistants Executive Board
D’Marre Justin Lamar Craddock ’25 39th President
Nathaniel Lolley ’26 Vice President
Lauren Byrd ’27 General Secretary
Sarah Alise Williams C ’2025 Treasurer
Mishon Poe ’27 Historian
Jillian Collier ’27 Parliamentarian
Kalyzayvian Ray ’25
Tayvian Allen ’27
Deacon Board Co-Chairs
Alonzo Brinson ’27
Outreach & Evangelism Chair
Mallory Childs ’28
Jyhir Jordan ’25
Interfaith Ministry Co-Chairs
Damarion King ’27
Linden Young ’26
Scholarship & Practical Ministry Co-Chairs
Elijah Gatling ’25
Social Media Chair
Pierce Nabors ’26
Adarian Fambro ’25
Public Relations and Digital Ministry Co-Chairs
SUPPORT THE
CHAIRISHING CAMPAIGN
The Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel is a cosmic treasure that serves as the world’s most prominent religious memorial dedicated to the life, legacy, and Black social gospel justice tradition of its iconic namesake, Martin Luther King Jr. It is a beacon for global change and an incubator for innovative ideas that advance civil human rights ethics.
For those who dream of a beloved world economic community, nonviolent social change, personal and inclusive transformation, peace, and justice, the King Chapel at Morehouse College offers a scholastic and spiritual home for the study of King and his philosophy.
The internationally acclaimed Dean of the King Chapel, the Rev. Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., has spent the past four decades building the world house memorial into a global ministry that promotes excellence, ethics, equality, and engagement, while encouraging and inspiring ambassadors of peace, unity, and harmony to carry King’s work and commitment to human dignity by saving democracy for all.
Share in preserving the King Chapel at Morehouse College by purchasing a chair today.
A $1,500 gift will enable you to buy a new tuxedo seat with an engraved plaque that will be on display in the historic venue that has hosted lectures by world dignitaries, scholars, theologians, celebrities, and newsmakers. Highlight your own name on a chair or honor the memory of a loved one.
From hosting 2,200 students for weekly community meetings to thousands of parents who entrust their beloved sons to the College each fall—and tens of thousands of visitors who snap photos of the King Statue on the International Plaza throughout the year—King Chapel is the living room in which Morehouse College welcomes world leaders of consequence.
In the sacred hush of The Crown Nave, the walls have countless tales to tell from ministers and leaders of diverse faiths and nationalities— people who share a common love for human kind and respect for people of all racial, economic, and gender identities. Their images have been captured in over 200 oil portraits that pay tribute to their journeys as humble servant scholar-leaders who became solidarity rights champions. Like King, they dedicated their lives to making the world a better place for saving and spreading democracy.
An investment in preserving King Chapel, our global treasure at Morehouse, is an investment in the ideals, values, vision, and courage of emerging servant scholar-leaders, who, in ways small and grand, will carry on King’s legacy and fulfill his dream.
See the Victory Before Us and Walk On!
1 Here we stand, surrogate voices— of those who have been silenced— by tragedy, indifference and time. We stand amidst a world where deception freely roams, And integrity and truth are held as crime.
Refrain:
Yet reverently we stand the heirs of this great land, and lift our voices high with cheerful song!
Walk on by faith, walk on with hope, with renewed determination to press on sing praise to the God of all creation, the hope of every nation see the victory before us and walk on!
Words by Dr. Uzee Brown Jr. ’72
2 Here we stand, bearing witness, to nature’s aberrations. Where disasters, unpredictable plague the near and distant lands. Oblivious to change, so many fail to heed—foreboding signs the universe commands.
Refrain:
Yet reverently we stand the heirs of this great land, and lift our voices high with cheerful song!
Walk on by faith, walk on with hope, with renewed determination to press on sing praise to the God of all creation, the hope of every nation see the victory before us and walk on!
3 Here we stand, champions of freedom, where courageous voices cry out, and fight for justice every day. We have thrived amidst the threats that democracy may fail, as we face new jolts and struggles on the way.
Refrain:
Yet reverently we stand the heirs of this great land, and lift our voices high with cheerful song!
Walk on by faith, walk on with hope, with renewed determination to press on sing praise to the God of all creation, the hope of every nation see the victory before us and walk on!
See the victory before us and walk on! Yes, just walk on!
Dear Old Morehouse
Dear old Morehouse, dear old Morehouse, We have pledged our lives to thee; And we’ll ever, yea forever, Give ourselves in loyalty.
True forever, true forever, To old Morehouse may we be; So to bind each son the other, Into ties more brotherly.
Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Make us steadfast, honest, true, To old Morehouse, and her ideals, And in all things that we do.
