Ministerial Alliance of Springfield and Vicinity

The Ministerial Alliance - News

Ministerial Alliance Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance

Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 3 pm, Union Baptist Church

Dr. Clarice Ford, Director of the Diversity Center at UIS, will be the keynote speaker for The Springfield Ministerial Alliance of Springfield and Vicinity’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative March and Memorial Service on Sunday, January 17, 2010, at Union Baptist Church, 1405 East Monroe, Springfield, Illinois.

The 18-minute march will begin with a brief meditation at 3 pm on Freedom Corner in front of the statue of Martin Luther King, Jr. at 2nd Street and Capitol Avenue, where the Illinois State Library is located. Church the Student Gospel Choir at UIS will sing at the statue and to lead the singing along the route. Banners and signs that inspire unity and cooperative achievement for common good are encouraged.

The march will proceed to Union Baptist Church, 1405 East Monroe Street, where the Ministerial Alliance Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Service will begin at 4 pm. Those who gather at the church will sing congregationally. The UIS choir and the Southeast High School Gospel choir will perform, and winners of the 2010 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay Contest will deliver their essays during the Memorial Service.

The public is cordially invited to attend.

For more information, view the event flier... in PDF format.

Ministerial alliance unites churches for fellowship

November 18, 2009, by RHYS SAUNDERS, THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
The Ministerial Alliance of Springfield and Vicinity held its community Thanksgiving service a week early Wednesday, hoping to draw more of the community together.
Read the full story at the SJ-R...

Annual Pre-Thanksgiving Service

November 18, 2009 6pm, Zion Missionary Baptist Church
The Ministerial Alliance of Springfield and Vicinity’s Community Thanksgiving Service will be at 7 p.m. November 18, 2009 at Zion Baptist Church, 1601 East Laurel in Springfield, Illinois. An Alliance Community Choir under the direction of Ms. Katherine Luster will perform. Dr. Clifford Hayes, Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Springfield and the Reverend Shaughneysy Small, Associate Minister of the First Church of God will bring a joint message.

"We are inviting all of Springfield to join in this community event as we acknowledge and give thanks to God for the many blessings He has bestowed on us" said Pastor Silas Johnson this year's program chairman. "The Alliance continues to provide opportunities for people to come together from all faiths to celebrate that which unites us and to work for the common good of the community" The community thanksgiving service is free and open to all.

In light of the shortages being experienced by area food banks and offering will be taken with all the proceeds going to the Central Illinois Food Bank.

For more information, view the full press release or the event flier in PDF format or contact Pastor Silas Johnson at 217-638-6721 or Nicholas Stojakovich at 217-725-4679.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay Contest

The purposes of the Essay Contest are to:

To promote an awareness and understanding of the message that Dr. King expressed through his writings, ministry and work in the Civil Rights Movement.
To encourage the development of communication skills in Springfield youth.
To provide the youth of the area an opportunity to develop a biblically based vision of life and justice, applying Dr. King’s Dream in their lives and our society today.
To help the youth remember and honor the legacy and work of Dr. King.
To develop a biblically rooted life vision.

Contest Dates
Deadline for submission is December 9, 2009.
Judging to identify finalists will finish on December 12, 2009.
Finalists will deliver their essays Monday December 14, 2009 to a panel of judges.
Winners will deliver their essay on Sunday January 17, 2010 at a Memorial Service for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Runners up may also be asked to speak.

Awards
$100 to each winner; $50 to each runner up

Details
Details are available in our Essay Form PDF 13kb.

Check back early next year for names & schools of the winners and the winning essays.

Ministerial Alliance College Scholarship

This scholarship is to encourage academic excellence among African American church youth and to assist with college costs for the freshman year of school.

Scholarship Dates
The scholarship application is generally available on the Ministerial Alliance website around the middle of April.
Deadline for submission is middle of May.

Details
Details and the 2010 Scholarship Application will be available early in 2010.