On Sunday, Jan. 19, Woodland Hills Community Church (WHCC) held an inspiriting service in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was the culminating event that concluded a weekend of service, which found the congregation gathering to create hygiene kits and relief buckets for those impacted by the recent fires in Southern California.
Additionally, thank you cards were written for the first responders, and at the church’s weekly Thursday night musical event, uplifting songs of peace, freedom, and justice were performed, further strengthening the bonds of its community.
That community, ever evolving, is heir to a unique legacy. Sixty-four years ago, on Jan. 15, 1961, Dr. King stood in that very sanctuary at Woodland Hills Community Church, after being invited by its white pastor, Fred Doty, to give a sermon, and he invoked the power of love.
Current pastor, the Reverend Samuel Pullen, who served as ministry assistant to former pastor Rev. Craig Peterson in 2012 before being called to lead the church last year, was inspired to learn that Dr. King had spoken at WHCC two years before he would give his historic “I Have a Dream” speech.
“Perhaps one of the reasons that I am a good fit to serve at Woodland Hills Community Church is that I have long considered Martin Luther King, Jr. to be one of my heroes,” said Pullen.
“I studied social movements and social change during my undergraduate studies at The Evergreen State College. Throughout my career as an organizer with unions, nonprofits and religious institutions, I have studied and practiced strategic nonviolence as a method of social change. I am honored to carry on this tradition [at WHCC].”
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The sermon Dr. King delivered at the church was entitled “The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life,” and its conclusion included the following summary:
“Love Yourself, if that means rational and healthy self-interest. You are commanded to do that. That is the length of life. Love your neighbor as yourself. You are commanded to do that. That is the breadth of life. But never forget that there is a first and even greater commandment: ‘Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.’ That is the height of life.”
One of the highlights of Sunday’s service was listening to the clip of Dr. King’s compelling rhetoric ringing out over the loudspeaker, whilst knowing he had stood at the very pulpit around which we sat.
Pullen indicated that he often shares the history of Dr. King’s visit to Woodland Hills and the speech he delivered at nearby Canoga Park High School entitled, “The Future of Integration.”
“In this message to a mostly white audience in a packed auditorium, Dr. King outlines the vision for a civil rights movement that utilizes the power of nonviolent resistance to confront the evils of segregation,” noted Rev. Pullen.
“One of the new things I learned recently is that Dr. MLK concluded his speech in Canoga Park with the very same words that were immortalized in his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech that was delivered two years later during the March on Washington.”
Dr. King’s vision began to come to fruition as people from all walks joined together for the March on Washington, and that same kind of diversity and inclusivity has been engendered at Woodland Hills Community Church over six decades.
“I was inspired to learn and serve at a congregation that embodied so many of my core values: an open-minded and inclusive Christian faith, affirming of the LGBTQ community, committed to racial justice, environmentally conscious, with a nursery school and youth program preparing future generations,” said Pullen, who was ordained as a minister in the United Church of Christ and served as an interfaith community organizer and pastor for over 10 years before being called back to Woodland Hills.
“One of the most remarkable legacies of Dr. MLK’s visit to Woodland Hills Community Church nearly 65 years ago is that this congregation is one of the few churches in the San Fernando Valley where inter-racial and inter-religious couples and families feel safe and affirmed. In this sense, Dr. King’s vision for ‘the future of integration’ has been realized within our congregation.”
In that same spirit, Sunday’s service included a “Team Sermon” whereby the voices of people of color in the congregation were lifted up and discussion ensued on ways that systemic racism, which still plagues our community and institutions today, may be challenged.
Congregation member and Song Leader Bryan Windom was among them. “If we consider ourselves to be followers of Christ, we are all called to be leaders and seek justice,” said Windom.
“No matter where you are, no matter who you are…I think for a lot of us in society, we are stripped of our ability to look at ourselves and see power. From the time that we are very young, we are told that the greatness of who we are lies in the things that we can attain — the job, the education, the woman, the man, the car, the clothes…and we neglect the gift…and the power that we all come to this world with that is uniquely ours. And that is something that…I’m striving to get back to, to peel back all the layers, all the stuff we put in front of us over time and get back to the purest form of myself, so I can be the most effective version of myself, for the world.”
Worship Leader Larry Duplechan reflected on the courage of civil rights leader Bayard Rustin and talked about his own experiences as a political activist since the 1970s, protesting Anita Bryant’s anti-gay rhetoric and campaigning against Proposition 6, which in California would have banned gay people from teaching in public schools. Duplechan humorously expressed fatigue.
“I’m tired,” said Duplechan. Looking to the two generations who have come after his, he said, “I’ll pass the torch to ya’ll. I’ll bail you out of jail.”
For his part, Pullen invited the congregation to ponder the way in which systemic racism and classism are likely to bring more severe consequences to people of color who were impacted by the recent fires.
“In particular, we are exploring how we can be engaged with relief and rebuilding efforts in Altadena, where the fires have had a devastating impact on a historically African American community,” said Reverend Pullen.
“Now we must ask ourselves, what is the future of racial and economic justice in our communities and in our nation, and how can we work to achieve these dreams?”
As an invitation to all, he said, “Help us keep Dr. King’s legacy alive by joining us in the ongoing struggle for racial and economic justice. We hope you will join us as we prepare for the 65th anniversary of Rev. Dr. MLK’s visit to Woodland Hills Community Church.”
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