Fayette honored civil-rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. on Sunday with a community meal at First Baptist Church followed by a ceremony in the Assembly Hall at Central Methodist University.

Sponsored by the Fayette Ministerial Alliance, local clergy delivered messages of unity and lessons for the future. 

Attendees were treated to the stylings of saxophonist Eugene Peebles. Known as “The Talking Sax,” Peebles played four selections throughout the program. Jaylon Lewis and Ellie Doolin read aloud selections from Rev. King’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech, delivered during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963.

An offering plate was circulated to collect money for MLK Lea Tindal Memorial Scholarship fund. Each year a $1,000 scholarship is awarded to a student usually from the congregation at the Second Baptist Church or St. Paul United Methodist Church in Fayette. “It’s a great, great effort. A great, great cause,” said Rev. Jamie Paige.

The ceremony closed when the more than 50 people gathered held hands in a circle during a prayer.

On Monday, the African-American Student Union at Central Methodist delivered a free luncheon program on the fourth floor of the college’s student and community center.