The speaker for the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Services in Batesville next Monday will be Dr. Frank Ray Sr., pastor of New Salem Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis. The program will take place in the Batesville Intermediate School Auditorium at the culmination of the MLK Day march, set to begin at 10 a.m. from Mt. Zion M.B. Church on Panola Avenue.
Ray, who was keynote speaker for MLK Day in Batesville in 2011 and 2012, has served the Memphis church since 1972. The New Salem congregation has grown from 50 members to 5,000.
The church operates 40 ministries from its facilities that include a sanctuary, banquet hall, recreational center, prayer center, audio and video media ministry, gym, book store and classrooms.
Dr. Ray is a sought-after evangelist and Bible teacher for crusades, revivals and conferences. His “God Is Good Ministries” reaches a worldwide audience through radio and television.
Local MLK Weekend activities will include a basketball tournament, a business expo, a beauty pageant, a musical program, and a prayer breakfast just prior to the march. For information call 563-3020 or 609-2448.