Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Holds Remembrance Service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

When he was a young man, the Rev. John deVelder had the good fortune to wait on Martin Luther King Jr.

A seminary student in the summer of 1967, deVelder was waiting tables at a restaurant where King was attenting a meeting.

As King entered the restaurant before the rest of his party, deVelder said he asked the historical revolutionary if they could sit and talk for a few minutes. King agreed and answered deVelder's questions honestly and with enthusiasm.

Even then, deVelder said he knew he was "Standing in the presense of greatness."

And what greatness to sit and talk with anyone - even a waiter at a restaurant, was worthy of his attention, de Velder said.

Less than a year later, King was dead from an assassin's bullet.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day was signed into federal law as an official holiday in 1983 by former president Ronald Reagan. In 2000, it was accepted as a federal holiday by all 50 states.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital was as bustling and busy as any other day, but in the Arline and Henry Schwartzman Courtyard, hospital staff and members of the public took an hour of the day to reflect on King and the legacy he left behind, and what it means for us today.

The event was presented by the hospital's Pastoral Care Department.

Rev. Martisha Dwyer, a chaplain at the hospital, led the group in a call to worship, with the refrain "It is possible to live in peace."

"Nonviolence is not a garment to be put on and off at will," she said.

The Core of Fire Interfaith Dance Ministry presented a liturgical dance, signing the phrase "We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes," along with the song "Ella's Song" by the a capella group Sweet Honey in the Rock.

Rev. Lisanne Finston, executive director of Elijah's Promise, carried the theme of unrest until justice through her speech.

King was about more than just service, Finston said. He was about social change, solutions and equality.

In order to properly embody King's message, we need to be beacons for change, she said.

Finston cited the case of a destitute family served by Elijah's Promise that was featured in a local newspaper article a few years ago.

Following the publication, at least 100 phone calls came to the nonprofit organization, offering food, money and goods to help this family.

However, no calls came offering training, a job or education, Finston said.

In order to properly fix the problems facing the country, we need to enact societal change and strive to challenge the system so that those who need long term help can actually get it, she said.

"Not just a hand out, but a hand up," she said.

Often, short term solutions addressing homelessness, for example, end up costing more money than long term housing, rehabilitation or job training.

"We cannot afford to spend millions of dollars to not do something about the very real problems that face people across this country," she said. 

Closing out the ceremony in a bilingual speech, Chaplains Sharon Hindle and Marta Gordon suggested creating positive change and influence in the world.

"If you have known love, give some back to a bruised and hurting world," they said.