MLK events set for weekend

The 2008 Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration gets going the weekend of Jan. 19 and 20. A parade will be held Jan. 19 starting at 9:30 a.m. from downtown Wharton at the square to Dawson Elementary School Gymnasium. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial celebration begins at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20, at Mother Zion Baptist Church on Milam Street. Guest speaker is Rev. E.L. Dawson, pastor of Progressive Baptist Church in El Campo. Each Church is asked to donate $150 for the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Fund. The theme is Marching From Dream to Reality. For more information, call Vivian Wyatt at 532-3872 or Rev. Ruiel Taylor III at (979) 257-9183. The public is invited.

On this coming Monday the children will be out of school for the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday recognition. Dr. King was born Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Ga. Dr. King was the leading organizer of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. During this period African Americans received voting rights, and an end to legal employment discrimination and segregation of public facilities took place. Dr. King believed in having non-violent demonstrations and marches for equal rights and in 1964 Dr. King won the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1968 Dr. King was working to organize a multiracial poor people's campaign to march on Washington, D.C., to secure basic economic rights for them. A demonstration was planned for that spring, but before it could happen Dr. King was assassinated by James Earl Ray on April 4. A famous quote from Dr. King is, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

Sympathy with prayers are expressed to the Sanford family who lost their loved one Steve Tim Sanford Jr. of Houston on Dec. 28.

Sympathy with prayers are expressed to the Foss family who lost their loved one Frederick Vincent Foss of Wharton on Jan. 4.

Sympathy with prayers are expressed to the Jefferson family who lost their loved one Eula Mae Jefferson of Spanish Camp on Jan. 6.

Sympathy with prayers are expressed to the Koonce family who lost their loved one Temple Gordon Koonce Sr. of Hungerford on Jan. 7.

Sympathy with prayers are expressed to the Manning family who lost their loved one Rev.

F.G. Manning of El Campo on Jan. 8. He had been pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church in El Campo for 33 years.

Belated happy wedding anniversary wishes go out to Jack and Thelma Greenwood of Hungerford who celebrated 52 years of marriage under the gold, both traditional and modern, wedding symbols on Jan. 15.

Wedding anniversa- ries will be celebrated this week by the following couples of Wharton County. Michael and Carol Wootton of Wharton are celebrating their 15 years of marriage under the crystal, traditional, and watches, modern, wedding symbols today; Randy and Cindy Michael of El Campo will be celebrating 29 years of marriage under the silver, both traditional and modern, wedding symbols on Jan. 19; and

James and Joyce Mitchell of Wharton will be celebrating 51 years of marriage under the gold, both traditional and modern, wedding symbols on Jan. 20. Happy wedding anniversary wishes are sent to each couple from relatives and friends.

Happy birthday wishes go out today to Paul Fertsch, Rebecca Greenwood, Preston Shannon, Andrew Simmons Jr., Christopher Simmons and Rebecca Simmons. Other birthdays celebrated this week include Joseph Felder on Jan. 17; Robert Osborne and Lupe Sepeda on Jan. 18; Sharon Socha on Jan. 19; Bobby Bankston and Kiara Simmons on Jan. 20; Kristen Mitchell, Therese Roades, Velma Treybig and Mollie Williams on Jan. 21; and Renita Burton, Jimmy Joubert, Laurence Morgan and Jobie Phillips on Jan. 22. These birthday wishes come with lots of love from family members and friends.

Speaking of birthdays, this Monday will be a special day for me because it is my birthday. I thank God for blessing me with 60 years of life and it is also a great privilege to be celebrating my birthday on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday recognition holiday on Jan. 21.

A Twentieth Century District Minister and Deacon Wives Program will be held at White Cloud Baptist Church in Eagle Lake on Jan. 19 at 10 a.m.

The holy word will be preached by Rev. H. Long of South Point Baptist Church in Garwood. Moderator is Rev.

Clarence Owens of Camp Zion/Rising Start United Baptist Church in Spanish Camp. Dinner will be served after the program.

The members of Greater Union Baptist Church in Matthews invite everyone to their Pastor's Aid Program at 3 p.m. on Jan. 20. The word of God will be preached by Rev. O. Rhodes, pastor of White Cloud Baptist Church in Eagle Lake.