The service brought together pastors from churches around Rome and Floyd County to worship and honor the legacy of King.
The Rev. Randy B. Livsey, pastor of New Shiloh Baptist Church in Kingston, told the crowd that while King led the way in civil rights, even today there is still work to do.
Livsey referenced the presidency of Barack Obama as an achievement made possible by King.
Obama took the oath of office Sunday and the inauguration celebration will take place today.
Livsey cited the deaths of 528 people killed in Chicago in 2012 in gang related violence, the shootings at a movie theater in Colorado and the most recent shooting of young students and teachers at a school in Newtown, Conn.
He said King’s lesson is still relevant today that “one man’s happiness cannot be purchased by another man’s misery.
Today, marchers will make their way down Broad Street in honor of King.
The annual Freedom March begins at the south end of Broad Street near Southeastern Mills at 11:30 a.m.
The Rev. Brannon Jones, associate pastor of Mount Calvary Church in Elberton will speak to the crowd in the City Auditorium following the march.
The activities will conclude with a fellowship luncheon at the Rome Civic Center on Jackson Hill following the march.








