Key leaders in this year’s celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia were, from left, Cheryl W. Appline, Dr. Charles Leonard, and Dr. Addie J. Butler.

Appline, executive director of the North Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation, preached at a commemorative worship service and recalled the influence of Dr. King in her formative years. She told students, staff, faculty and visitors that God has "put a passion in my spirit" to help modern-day men, women and children find solutions to their lives through development programs. Preaching on the Third Chapter of Acts, she said assisting others to "take up their beds and walk…has sometimes been a struggle and only possible by the spirit of God…." She told a story of searching the community for construction workers for a project and "looking past" an older man she thought didn’t have what it takes to be an effective worker. "God had other ideas," she said. "Johnny Allen turned out to be the glue that held 22 other workers together." Through this and other experiences, Appline said, "God has taught me to look past my arrogance, take people by the hand I once couldn’t see and lift them up" so they can walk on their own.

Butler, a Mount Airy resident and the first African American to serve as vice president of the 5.1 million member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America denomination, traced the evolving multicultural progress of the church. She noted that the first African American Lutheran pastor founded a church in center-city Philadelphia in the early 1830s, and the building still stands today as the home of the University of Pennsylvania’s Mask and Wig Club. "We’ve come a long way," said Butler, citing the expanding contributions of diverse peoples in the church today, "but we still have a long way to go." Butler serves on the Seminary’s Board of Trustees and as assistant dean at The Community College of Philadelphia.

Leonard, who counsels seminary students through field work and internship assignments, oversaw the day’s events, which included an afternoon of campus community workshops.