f e 1 Page 12 M a r t in L u t h e r K in g J r . © 2012 s p e c i a l e d itio n January II, 2012 Pastor Follows King Legacy c o n t i n u e d f r o m page 3 Change Christian Center in north Portland. “We gather together, and we’re strengthened collectively by each individual’s faith,” Strong said. As a spiritual leader in Portland for more than 24-years, Strong said the church is a place to help every one discover their true potential in life to make healthy and positive choices. “What King was dealing with was racial inequality, and the people involved in the civil rights struggle all felt the pain of it,” he said. “But it was their faith, and King’s faith, that gave them the impetus to make change.” According to Strong, a lot of people talk of King as a great leader that he was, but sometimes forget he was Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, and his faith in Jesus Christ was central in what he did. “His sermons came out of scrip ture,” he said. “It was a core part of who he was.” photo by M indy C ooper /T he P ortland O bserver Life Change Christian Center Pastor Mark Strong follows the legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. by sharing the power of the church to bring hope and positive social changes to the community and members of his congregation. As a graduate of Jefferson High different when he was young, espe School, Strong, 50, said growing up cially regarding the rise in youth in north and northeast Portland was violence Portland has seen in the Rev. Dr. M artin Luther K ine.lr. Tribute. Monday January 16, 2012 11:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M. Highland Christian Center 7600 N.E. Glisan, Portland, Oregon 97213 "Keep Alive the Dream" offers a renewal of appreciation for the life and work of one of the world's most renown citizens. A man of substance, faith, compassion, and action, we revere what he revered: Peace and Human Rights. * * -Ml » * • <! 3 ♦ < * * * k S m . ■ "The junction o f education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically... Intelligence / t h i s , character - that is * . . . . I ■ « ■The Tribute's 27th consecutive year will be simulcast in Greater Metro Portland on television and radio: Live on PCM Channel 11, tape-delay on Portland Public Schools' Channel 28, live on KBOO radio - 90.7 FM; and streamed across the globe on the web." Featuring: Local/regional/international Civic and Social Speakers, Performances by Cultural and Contemporary Performing Artists from various schools; Gospel and Jazz performances. Artist Displays, “Dreamers Village" Vendor's Bazaar, Food Court, & Freedom Riders“50th Anniversary*exhibit. * Donation: $5 or five non-perishable food items. A «J • r » ifT n i i i i j j u U Z S 4 4U4 Portland Public Schools Portland Association of Teachers City of Portland ¿....I . • * Oregon Education Association RACC education Providence Health & Services Concordia University Enterprise Rent-A<ar Portland General Electric Tri-M et V L J It lYlahe a dillerence. A Production of World A rti Foundatton, lac. A Non-Profit Orgini/atton O regonian African American Chamber of Commerce KBOO Radio 90.7 por more ìnformation coniati Portland Community Media, Channel 11 www.worldartapdx.org Television Service, Channel 28 past few decades. “There were some tough spots, but it isn’t like it is now,” he said. “And we would get in fights and then be friends the next day.” Strong also said he didn’t always know he wanted to become a pastor. “My goal was never to be a pas tor what so ever. I was thinking more business or athlete,” he said. One Sunday morning, however, when he was 19, Strong attended church to please his grandma’s per petual wishes. “During the service, God gripped my heart,” he said. “And I started weeping and crying.” He said he remembers saying to God in that moment, “If you want me you can have me!” After experiencing such a radical transformation that day, he said his attention became re-focused from parties and girls to spirituality and scripture. “I got a real hunger for prayer and the bible, and most of my time was spent reading scripture,” he said. “And my heart began to have a real love and care for people— for all of humanity.” Like Martin Luther King ’ s teach ings of Agape, which translates to universal love for all of human kind, Strong said he also believes love is not only a central part of the church, but it also reminds people their ex istence has meaning. “My passion was, I wanted to share with people this wonderful love Christ has put in my heart,” he said. “Like Agape, it is love for every body. That is what it is about.” Strong said the embrace of com munity is one of the main reasons people attend church. He said, however, the church m ust be proactive to help not only those who are a part o f the con gregation, but also those who are not. “One thing Jesus says, ‘you are the salt of the earth, the light of the world’; but in order for the salt to be effective, it has to get out of the shaker,” he said. “One of the things churches need to do is get out of the shaker and apply the salt where flavor is needed.” According to Strong, even the perpetrator never fulfills their po tential as a human being. “When slinging dope and shoot ing people— they don’t reach their potential they were created for,” he said. And as a result, there is so much havoc and pain. “The hardship it puts on a com munity and the terror people have to live in is ridiculous,” he said. “Our burden and desire is, how can we mobilize the church in a simplistic, yet effective, way to engage prob lems in our community— specifically the violence.” Ina proactive effort to bring posi tive change. Pastor Strong, along with several other pastors and churches from throughout the metro area, created the 1145 Club, which is aimed to help end gang violence amongst youth. At a recent press conference to discuss the arrests of 31 gang mem bers, Strong said, the hearts of mem bers of the faith community were very much present with the crime issue. He said, however, “It is not just about punishment, but prevention is equally important.” The name 1145 Club, which be gan a little over a year ago, reminds individuals they can spend one day, one hour or 45 minutes, to make a difference in each other’s lives. The group, which currently has more than 400 volunteers, grew quickly, he said. The goal is to get community members to focus on at least one in four areas, by being there, sharing, caring or prayer. Volunteers for the organization can be seen wearing bright green t- shirts as they walk through parks and hot spots where violence has been present. “What I think is important is that everybody needs to remember they have something to give no matter how insignificant they feel it is,” he said. “But it is not just Life Change, or one church. It must be everybody working together.” According to Strong, there is no way one church could do the work of the 1145 team. “Faith gives you strength and another way to address and look at the problem,” he said, adding that when everybody contributes, ev erybody is blessed.