Inspired by King

To begin his sermon at Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday service, Pastor Dave Gass quoted from a letter King wrote while imprisoned in a Birmingham, Ala., jail in 1963.

In the letter, the great civil rights leader expressed deep disappointment at what he called "the laxity of the church."

"Yes, I love the church," King wrote. "How could I do otherwise? But oh! How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists."

Sadly, that laxity hasn't changed much in the nearly 50 years since King wrote the letter to a group of his fellow clergymen, said Gass, director of youth ministries at First Covenant Church, 2625 E. Magnolia. More...   PrisonerPal.com