Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Restoration Project

The Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel

Restoring Our Global Treasure

“We have inherited a large house, a great ‘world house’ in which we have to live together—black and white, Easterner and Westerner, Gentile and Jew, Catholic and Protestant, Moslem and Hindu ... All inhabitants of the globe are now neighbors.”

–Martin Luther King Jr. ’48

After nearly four decades of serving Morehouse College and the larger community as a sanctuary, performance venue, museum and the College’s largest classroom, the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel, understandably, has begun to show significant signs of wear and age.

To ensure that the Chapel is prepared for the demands of the 21st century, in true ecumenical fashion, Morehouse is extending an invitation to invest in the Chapel’s restoration to every individual, corporation and foundation that values the inestimable contributions of King and those who strive to further his dream of a “great world house.”

Simply put, the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel belongs to the world. It is our chapel. It is a cherished, incomparable treasure of the global community and, as global citizens, we must support efforts that keep this Chapel and its programs relevant and thriving for new generations of world leaders.

The College has embarked on a fund-raising initiative to raise the $8 million needed to complete the restoration project. One of the first to join our effort is The Robert W. Woodruff Foundation.

Restoration will include: • Replacing major building systems (HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire protection and code compliance improvements, including ADA) • Replacing the roof • Replacing auditorium seating • Installing state-of-the-art audio/ visual equipment and lighting • Installing new acoustical shell and stage equipment • Improving ceiling grid, painting, flooring and signage As part of the Chapel’s restoration, Morehouse will secure LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification. This gold standard of achievement in green building will ultimately lower the Chapel’s energy and utility costs, and increase overall operational efficiency. By adhering to these best-in-class building strategies and practices, Morehouse is supporting a growing initiative focused on transforming the way facilities and communities are designed, constructed, maintained and operated around the world.

The Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel has walls that talk.

In the lobby, marble walls are engraved with words from the world’s best known dreamer: “I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.”

In the sacred hush of the nave, the walls have countless tales from ministers of nearly every denomination

under the sun, from educators and entertainers, and from politicians and poets—all of whom have brought messages of encouragement, empowerment and inspired leadership to students who dream of becoming Morehouse Men. Along parallel corridors flanking the nave are 190 portraits, each of which paints a thousand words about the vision, courage and service of the human and civil rights leaders so vividly captured. Even the Chapel Library, whose walls are completely covered with rare, enthralling photos of King and other leaders, virtually pulsates with life.

With nearly 25,000 visitors a year—from 2,100 students attending required weekly Crown Forum assemblies, to dozens of ministers and laity being inducted annually into a scholarly colloquium, to hundreds of parents entrusting their beloved sons to the College each fall, to thousands of visitors snapping photos of the King statue on the plaza throughout the year—the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel is indeed the College’s “living room.”

For those who dream of a beloved world community, non-violent social change, personal transformation, brotherhood, justice and peace, the King Chapel offers both a scholastic and spiritual home.

Investing

in an Incubator of Ideas

An investment in restoring our global treasure is an investment in the ideas, vision and courage of emerging scholars and servant leaders who, in ways small and grand, will carry on King’s legacy.

President Hugh Gloster ‘31 and Leontyne Price

Nelson Mandela, Maynard Jackson Jr. ‘56 and Coretta Scott King

Bishop Desmond Tutu

U.S. President Jimmy Carter

The Rev. Samuel DeWitt Proctor

The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.

The Rev. William Augustus Jones Jr.

Rosa Parks and Dean Lawrence E. Carter

Stevie Wonder

The Rev. Gardner C. Taylor

The Rev. Al Sharpton

Spike Lee ‘79, President Walter E. Massey ‘58, Dean Carter, John R. Silber and Otis Moss Jr. ‘56

Wynton Marsalis and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Former First Lady Barbara Bush

Ambassador Andrew Young

The Rev. T.J. Jemison and Dean Carter

Shaquille O’Neal

Karen Armstrong, Best-selling Author of A History of God

Eric Holder, The Rev. Joseph Lowery and then-Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin

Dean Carter and His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

As we envision the future of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel, our challenge is to ensure the viability and sustainability of our global treasure today.

All contributions to the Chapel Restoration Project are invited and much appreciated.

To learn more or to make a gift

Go to http://www.morehouse.edu/chapelrestorationproject

President Benjamin E. Mays

To make a donation by check or money order (payable to Morehouse College), mail to: Office of Institutional Advancement Attn: MLK Jr. Chapel Restoration Morehouse College 830 Westview Drive, S.W. Atlanta, Georgia 30314-3773

Martin Luther King Jr. ‘48

All contributions are tax-deductible.

Contact

The Office of Institutional Advancement (404) 215-2659

Dr. King in Sale Hall Chapel

Presidents Emeriti Robert M. Franklin ‘75 and Walter E. Massey ‘58, and President John Silvanus Wilson Jr. ‘79