Steubenville celebrates King’s memory
- DREAMING — The Rev. Vaughn Foster, pastor of First United Presbyterian Church in Mingo Junction and founder and executive director of the nonprofit Relationship Builders Inc., spoke during Monday’s MLK reflection event. — Christopher Dacanay
- ENCOURAGING — The Rev. John Welch, pastor of Sixth Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Pittsburgh, spoke during Sunday’s ecumenical service. — Christopher Dacanay

ENCOURAGING — The Rev. John Welch, pastor of Sixth Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Pittsburgh, spoke during Sunday’s ecumenical service. -- Christopher Dacanay
STEUBENVILLE — Listeners were challenged to persevere through hardships and live up to their own potential as “dreamers” during two events commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The Steubenville Martin Luther King Jr. Association once again presented two time-honored events: Its 47th-annual Dr. Martin King Jr. Ecumenical Memorial Service on Sunday and Reflection of Dr. King Hour on Monday.
A local scholarship provider, the association also helped present an MLK Youth and Children’s Day on Saturday at the Sycamore Youth Center, celebrating the late civil rights activist’s birth more than 96 years ago.
During Sunday evening’s event, the association focused on the religiosity of King — a Baptist minister — during its ecumenical service at Mount Carmel Community Baptist Church. The event featured a keynote address from the Rev. John Welch, pastor of Sixth Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Pittsburgh.
Serving as worship leader was the Rev. Vaughn Foster, pastor of First United Presbyterian Church of Mingo Junction, who noted, “When we celebrate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, we miss the ‘reverend’ part.”

DREAMING — The Rev. Vaughn Foster, pastor of First United Presbyterian Church in Mingo Junction and founder and executive director of the nonprofit Relationship Builders Inc., spoke during Monday’s MLK reflection event. -- Christopher Dacanay
“His initial call was to ministry because he felt called to make a difference. He wanted to do something for God and people at the same time. So, whatever we say, whatever we do, we have to keep in mind that there would be no (King) … doing the things (he) did, had he not a relationship with God that really opened him up to be used by God.”
The Rev. Anthony Moore Jr., pastor of Quinn Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church, read the service’s scripture, after which the Rev. Jeffrey Stanford, pastor of Second Baptist Church, offered the invocation.
Attendees heard greetings from Mayor Jerry Barilla, on behalf of the city; the Rev. Kimberly Arbaugh, executive director of Urban Mission Ministries Inc.; Lori Fetherolf, Steubenville parks and recreation director, who oversees the Maritn Luther King Jr. Recreation Center; and Michael Jett, interim president of the Steubenville NAACP.
Charlene Dawkins performed “I Am So Grateful,” after which she played the organ as attendees joined with Linda Brown in singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Brown later sang a rendition of Psalm 121.
An ethics professor and CEO of the health and wellness nonprofit Flourishing Communities Inc., Welch was introduced by Stanford as “one who is actually living beyond the dream.”
Welch noted Monday’s planned presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, whose legal history and views mark him as a “Bull Connor” with a national platform — referencing American politician and segregationist Theophilus Eugene “Bull” Connor.
With the inauguration nearing, Welch said, various parties formerly critical of Trump are “conciliating or compromising or caving in fear” because of vocal threats of retaliation. Welch then questioned what people should be doing in response to the inauguration.
“Should we be cowardly compromising, should we be cowardly caving or should we be courageously confronting the things that (are) going to not protect the poor in this country?”
The inauguration only reveals the state of civil rights, which has lacked a firm foundation in American despite projections of progress, Welch said. In spite of oncoming challenges, he added, individuals must regroup and re-double efforts, armed with the tools of faith.
“There may be a lot of threats coming from this president and a lot of unfair legislation coming from this Congress, but while some people may run, some people may hide and others may compromise, we cannot afford to run, hide or compromise,” Welch said. “Dr. King didn’t run, Dr. King didn’t hide, and Dr. King didn’t compromise.”
Attendees also heard from Teighli Kight, who received a scholarship from the Stuebenville MLK association in 2024. A recent Kent State University graduate, Kight read a self-written poem about the importance and impact of scholarships, especially for empowering minority individuals.
“Financial barriers — they’re chains we must break,” Kight said. “We live in a world where systematic inequality still exists, but scholarships are a way to resist. They open doors to institutions that may have seemed too far away, too expensive or too elite. They give us a chance to sit at tables where decisions are made, to be the voices that bring change and to build generational wealth for our families.”
The Rev. Jim Baber, association president and pastor of Calvary Community Missionary Baptist Church, asked for individuals’ financial support to enable the scholarships that benefit young students’ futures.
On Monday, local residents, youth and police officers gathered in Steubenville’s Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center to hear an hour of reflections on King’s life and work.
Following an opening prayer from the Rev. Maurice Lawson of Second Baptist Church, Baber stated the annual reflection hour’s mission: To recall years of Civil Rights Movement progress while stirring motivation for future toils.
“Things have changed now for the better, but we still have miles to go,” Baber said. “That’s why we pause to reflect on Dr. King and what he stood for.”
Barilla spoke again on his hope that prejudice and discrimination might be eliminated, and the nation might secure “liberty and justice for all.” The mayor also proposed that the recreation center’s interior ought to house an MLK mural depicting his words and multiple scenes, and he resolved to investigate funding for the project with parks and recreation director Fetherolf.
After a performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” — often referred to as the “Black national anthem” — by Melanye Wares, Baber introduced Foster, who’s also founder and executive director of the nonprofit Relationship Builders Inc.
Foster described King as a “dreamer,” in the aspirational sense. The modern “prophet” was motivated by his Christian faith to serve God and humanity, Foster said, and his dream of sweeping equality was a recurring speech topic — culminating in his famed speech in Washington Aug. 28, 1963.
“(In Washington), what has been said in smaller setting became worldwide,” Foster said. “Although the dream was mentioned in speeches, the dream was something more than just a speech. It was a revelation form God about what America could be and should be.”
Foster told listeners to become familiar with King’s dream and commit to taking up his cause in their own lives, as they’re called, and to encourage others to do likewise.
“Until we get to that place where King’s dream is word and his fellow dreamers become just a part of our entire history, when we begin to mimic what they did in heart and not just in action, we’ll never experience the ringing of freedom the way we can.”
Concluding the event, Baber said one of his “prayers for 2025” is to see young people remain safe within an American society that’s drastically changed over the years. He told youth in attendance to respect their teachers and superiors and told all attendees: “Don’t fail to dream. … Let us keep reflecting on Dr. King.”