Minneapolis/St. Paul (January 13, 2006 - GMS) On the 20th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, the Minnesota State Baptist Convention will host a weekend of events to honor the former Baptist Minister and Civil Rights Leader.

Friday, January 13th at 7:00 pm as part of its midwinter conference, the Rev. Jerry McAfee of New Salem Missionary Baptist Church in north Minneapolis, will be installed as the new President of the 20,000 plus members representing 35 Black Baptist Churches across the Twin Cities, St. Cloud, Rochester and Duluth. In addition, numerous well-known Ministers from across the country will be coming to Minneapolis to partake in the Installation ceremony. During the October 20, 2005 Minnesota State Baptist Convention, the torch of presidency was passed from the Rev. Ian D. Bethel of New Beginnings Baptist Tabernacle to the Rev. Jerry McAfee.

Saturday, January 14th at 9:00 am a Prayer Breakfast will be held at New Salem MBC followed by MSBC Auxiliaries and Board Members convening. The day will end with a Worship Service.

Sunday, January 15th at 6:00 pm, the actual birthday of Dr. King, the Minnesota State Baptist Convention will celebrate with a service and musical titled “Making the Dream A Reality, Remembering, Celebrating and Acting.” Rev. McAfee states that “too often people are so busy celebrating that they fail to remember and develop an action plan to address the nightmare that exists for so many of our people.”

As part of the Sunday celebration, special guests will be Hurricane Katrina families who have made Minnesota their home, and families of homicide victims in communities of color throughout the Twin Cities. A 250 voice Minnesota State Baptist convention choir and guest speaker, Rev. Sedric Veal of Cleveland, Ohio will headline the service.

All of the above events will be held at New Salem Missionary Baptist Church, 2519 Lyndale Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55411. The phone number for the church is 612-522-2951.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Hattie Webb
Public Relations Director
Minnesota State Baptist ‘Convention
952-914-9214 (office) 612-272-1987 (cell)