The 2026 Martin Luther King, Jr. Interfaith Evensong brings together the interfaith community in celebration of the life and vision of Dr. King.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Interfaith Evensong is a sacred and harmonious gathering that unites the diverse interfaith community in celebration of the life and visionary legacy of Dr. King. This special event transcends religious boundaries to embrace the universal themes of peace, justice, and equality that Dr. King championed throughout his life.
During the Evensong, participants come together in a spirit of reflection and unity, offering prayers, music, and inspirational readings from various religious and spiritual traditions. The event's atmosphere is one of reverence and hope, invoking Dr. King's dream of a world where people of all faiths and backgrounds can join hands in the pursuit of social justice.
The 2026 service features three leading theologians. The Rev. Dr. Angela D. Sims, Ph.D. is the president of the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, New York, the alma mater of Dr. King. And she is the 2026 president-elect of the American Academy of Religion. Dr. Sims is the author of Ethical Complications of Lynching; Ida B. Wells’s Interrogation of American Terror (New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2010) and co-editor of Womanist Theological Ethics: A Reader (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011). Dr. Sims is a graduate (summa cum laude) of Washington DC's Trinity College and Howard University School of Divinity, where she was awarded her Master of Divinity degree. She received her Ph.D. from Union Presbyterian Seminary.1
Dr. Sylvester A. Johnson, Ph.D. is the department chair and professor of Black Studies at Northwestern University. He is also the co-founder and CEO of the Corporation of Public Interest Technology in Washington DC. As a leading theologian and technologist, whose work sits at the intersection of technical and humanistic stakeholders to advance more democratic, inclusive outcomes for an innovation-driven society, Dr. Johnson held the 2024 Klugey Chair in Technology and Society at the Library of Congress's Klugey Center. He is the author and editor of four books and the founding co-editor of the Journal of Africana Religions, and his current focus centers on a study of human identity in an age of intelligent machines and human-machine symbiosis. Dr. Johnson holds an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Florida A&M University and a Ph.D. in contemporary religious thought from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York.2
The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers is one of the Episcopal Church’s leading thinkers around 21st-century ministry and mission. She is past canon to the Episcopal Church’s Presiding Bishop Michael Curry (ret.), with responsibility for guiding the entire denomination’s work on evangelism, racial justice, new ministry development and environmental stewardship. An honorary canon in the Diocese of New York, she currently serves as Canon in Residence at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church. Canon Spellers's is the author of several books, with her latest work, Church Tomorrow?, presenting "hard truths about declining religious affiliation in America, paired with stories and wisdom from her interviews with dozens of young people who either grew up with no faith or gave up formal religion." Canon Spellers is a phi beta kappa graduate of Wake Forest University and the recipient of two Masters Degrees from Harvard Divinity School and the Episcopal Divinity School. She also holds an honorary doctorate degree from General Theological Seminary.3
Through this interfaith celebration, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Interfaith Evensong reinforces the timeless message that transcends religious differences: the importance of love, compassion, and collective action in the ongoing fight for civil rights and a more equitable society. It's a moving testament to the power of faith and community in driving positive change.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Interfaith Evensong is a partnership of the NorcalMLK Foundation, The Episcopal Diocese of California, and Grace Cathedral.
Watch the 2025 Evensong
NOTES:
1. See https://www.crcds.edu/meet-our-president. 2. See https://blackstudies.northwestern.edu/people/faculty/sylvester-johnson.html and https://www.cpitpbc.com/people/sylvester-johnson. 3. See https://stephaniespellers.com.
