Bible Way hosting 20th annual MLK Jr. unity walk, service on Monday

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

On Monday at 1 p.m., the 20th annual unity walk will take place in Copperas Cove, remembering the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. 
Bible Way Missionary Baptist Church, which is hosting the event, welcomes the community to participate. 
The walk lineup begins at 12:45 p.m. in the parking lot of First Step Child Care Center, located at 1402 S. F.M. 116. 
The walk route proceeds along F.M. 116 and ends at Bible Way Missionary Baptist Church, located at 2306 S. F.M. 116. 
Participants can park at the church, where shuttle transportation will be provided for walkers to the starting point from 12:15 until 12:45 p.m.
After the conclusion of the walk, the church will host the MLK Commemorative service at 2 p.m. This year’s guest speaker is the Rev. Delvin Atchison, director of the Great Commission Team of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. 
Five $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to local students by the Copperas Cove Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Committee. This year, two winners of the five are from Copperas Cove and three are from Killeen.  
The first MLK Commemorative Service was held on Jan. 18, 1999 in the then-Santa Fe Railroad parking lot on Avenue D, with Malcolm Dickerson of Robertson Avenue Baptist Church being the guest speaker. The service was moved indoors in 2001 and was hosted by the Unity Baptist Church. 
Since 2002, various churches have hosted the event, to include United Faith Church, pastored by Bishop Clarence Drummond as well as North Pointe Church, pastored by Rev. Billy Sanders, with Bible Way hosting the service since.