DREAM LIVES ON

True Spirit Baptist Church had a problem.

Actually, it was more of a mixed blessing.

Too many people showed up Sunday afternoon for a celebration honoring the late Martin Luther King Jr.

The sanctuary seats about 500 -- not nearly as many as the number of people lining up outside in their Sunday best an hour before the 3:30 p.m. service.

"We don't usually have this many people," the Rev. Orian Flournoy said.

The church at 5120 Astrozon Blvd. was the site for the annual King celebration sponsored by the Colorado Springs chapter of Gospel Music Workshop of America.

Closed-circuit TV viewing was set up in the fellowship room to handle the overflow.

In the sanctuary, pews were packed.

Children piled onto laps.

Ushers handed out fans.

The service went on.

It was dominated by gospel music, dancing, community awards and prayer.

The only hitch was the cancellation of an appearance by intended guest speaker Greg Mathis of the TV show "Judge Mathis."

A tape of King's speeches hit highlights of the civil rights leader's legacy.

The Georgia-born King delivered his famous "I have a Dream" speech Aug. 28, 1963, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

He was assassinated April 4, 1968, on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn.

His impact endures.

"He is one of my top heroes," said Angela McKinney, 13. "So is my mom, she is such a strong black woman."

Steven Nelson, 14, feels encouraged by King.

"He gave everybody courage to stand up. He showed a lot of people that if you just put your mind to it, things could happen," Steven said. "It tells me that since I am black, I can do anything."

Added his friend, Casan Outing, 13: "It's not a matter of color. Anybody can do anything."

Diana Brady was among a handful of whites attending the predominately black church service.

Brady recalled moving to Alabama for a year as a fourthgrader in the 1950s.

There were separate restrooms and drinking fountains for blacks and whites, she said.

"It was awful. I was old enough to know it wasn't right," she said.

While the church service continued, hundreds of people attended Sunday's citywide downtown service, which included a candlelight march and a program at Shove Chapel on the Colorado College Campus.

Michelle Bull said she brings her children to the downtown ceremony every year.

"What Martin Luther King did is part of a broad spectrum of inclusion that the world needs," said Bull, who is white. "You have to literally walk your talk. You can't just say, 'I believe in racial equality,' you have to actually do something about it."

That attitude has rubbed off on her 15-year-old daughter, Claire Tucker.

"It's not just about whites or black people, but about all the races," Claire said.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0253 or abrown@gazette.com

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