Remembering MLK’s legacy at Conley’s Church service

The Rev. Janice Herman walked down the aisle of Conley’s United Methodist Church carrying large trash bags. Each bag had a word. Regret, depression and paranoia, to name a few.

The pastor from the Friendship United Methodist Church in Millsboro was using them to represent personal baggage that many people carry.

She was preaching a message of deliverance at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday Service.

“We keep coming to church with all this stuff. God, we release these burdens to you. Free us, so these anxieties are done,” Herman said in her sermon, which she calls “The Bag Lady.”

The Monday service was part of the 37th annual MLK celebration weekend. This year’s theme was Together we make the dream work: Love + unity = power.

Aiyanna Ward, 13, an eighth-grade student at Frederick Thomas Middle School in Lewes, was chosen to speak about the purpose of the service.

“We must continue to nurture the legacy and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. If not, we will forget what Dr. King died for and leave the door open for the same injustice to happen again,” she said.