The first all-school colloquy of winter quarter was held in the church on January 11 and was a special service commemorating the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. Students provided a reading of Langston Hughes’ piece “Democracy” and special music from the Gospel Choir.

The guest speaker for the program was Ronald Pollard, Greater Los Angeles youth director for the Southern California Conference and founder of Heritage Missions, a short-term missions program that targets urban SDA youth who attend public schools and encourages them to be socially responsible citizens through global mission service.

In his presentation, Pollard took a look at King’s life, following the story of his childhood, family, education, and civil rights leadership. Talking about King’s willingness to die for what he believed in, Pollard recounted how his mother had worked endlessly as a single mother to allow her children to be what they dreamed of. “If [King] could die for what he believed, I can live for it,” she would say. To students, Pollard said, “The challenge is that you will say ‘My life is bigger than just me.’”

Pollard remained on campus to speak for the vespers program on Friday as well.