Rev. Edward L. Branch, Pastor of the Third New Hope Baptist Church of Detroit spoke Monday at the La Grange Community Prayer Breakfast honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
He pointed out to about 100 guests at the First Baptist Church of La Grange that in order to become a “blessed community” the answer lay in Scripture.
“We please God when we do what is asked of us,” he said during his one-half hour talk, citing Micah 6:8 that the prerequisites for the blessed community are to “act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
Branch is a native Chicagoan, raised on the West Side of Chicago.
He related how he lived at 1520 Hamlin Avenue as an 11-year old, running errands for King when the martyred icon was living temporarily at 1550 Hamlin during one of his stays in Chicago highlighting housing segregation issues.
“We are still celebrating his legacy,” Branch said.
Branch was ordained by the No. 2 New Mt. Sinai Baptist Church on Chicago.
He relocated to Detroit in 1975, where he became the assistant pastor of the New Jerusalem Baptist Church, then the associate minister of the New Bethel Baptist Church, before in 1977 becoming the pastor of the Third New Hope Baptist Church, where he served as pastor until his retirement in 2019.
Branch holds a Master of Arts and a Master of Divinity from the Ashland Theological Seminary. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Ashland in 2012.
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Branch’s community service includes work with the Detroit School Board, the Detroit Youth Foundation, the Arts League of Michigan, and the United Way of Southeastern Michigan.
He strove Monday to put the three prerequisites in more accessible terms.
“Maybe we would understand it a little better if we said ‘just be fair,'” Branch said of the concept of justice.
Of the concept of mercy, he said “we have a problem giving it to others” and challenging those to consider “when was the last time we engaged in a random act of kindness?”
Branch also noted the challenges presented in showing mercy.
“Caring about others is sometimes painful because the people you care about don’t care for you,” he said.
As far as walking humbly with God, Branch said simply “none of us are any better than the rest of us. We are all sons and daughters of God.”
Rev. Shawana McGee, pastor of First Baptist Church — and La Grange Village Trustee — and her husband, Rev. Maurice McGee, also pastor at First Baptist — organized the breakfast, with Shawana McGee serving to recognize the special speaker.
The Breakfast Worship Leader was Rev. Sabrina Hughey, Rev. Alfredo Banks sang “We Shall Overcome” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (the Black National anthem). A Prayer for Peace, and a Prayer for Unity were read.
Brother Harold Gibson and Sister Becky Lorentzen of the Baha’i faith led a Prayer for Love.
Several Village officials were in attendance, including Village President Mark Kuchler, Trustee Peggy Peterson, Interim Fire Chief John Buckley, and Community Development Director Charity Jones.
Also present was Nancy Cummings, Executive Director of the La Grange Business Association.
Rev. Maurice McGee was happy with this year’s event, saying “it was beautiful.”
He also noted the importance of King in his own life.
“He made me, in a sense, who I am,” McGee said. “He made me an activist.”
Worship Leader Sabrina Hughey reminded everyone the King’s work remained unfinished.
“This is an opportunity to reflect and become more self-aware,” she said. “We’ve still have work to do.”
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.