Rio Rancho Faith Leaders Unite a Dozen Churches at MLK Service

About a dozen churches from the Metro area gathered in Rio Rancho for the annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. service, using the pulpit to push for unity, faith-driven civic engagement and nonviolent approaches to social change. The event, held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Jan. 21, 2026, drew clergy and congregants who framed King’s legacy as a call to reconciliation in a polarized moment.

Pastor Eddie McCall of New Covenant Worship Center opened the program by placing the evening in the context of celebration and remembrance, calling it "a great occasion in celebration of 'a man that has done much for many'." Rev. Dr. Charles Becknell Sr. of Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church recounted the service’s origins and its organizing philosophy. Becknell said he had been disturbed by national divisions and began outreach by sending roughly 100 letters to Metro-area churches, receiving about a half-dozen responses that helped launch the service. “I thought, ‘If we come together as churches, we can bring unity. It has to begin with the churches,’” Becknell said. He affirmed the idea that interfaith dialogue reveals common ground: “I believe if we talk to each other, we find that we have more in common than we are different.” Becknell described the growth and impact as “a marvelous, fantastic, uplifting experience. We can be the instrument to bring about change.”

The evening’s keynote came from Rev. Dr. Geleta Smith, pastor of the Word of God African Methodist Episcopal Church, who grounded her message in Hebrews and highlighted faith, hope, love and perseverance. Smith invoked both scripture and spiritual dependence, stating, “We are nothing without the Lord.” She linked King’s era to contemporary divisions and framed present efforts as continuation of the civil rights mission: “We are striving for human rights for all people,” and added, "Living by faith, the mission is possible, too."

Organizers set the program under the theme Mission Possible 2: Building Community, Uniting a Nation the Nonviolent Way, and the service combined historical reflection with appeals to practical reconciliation. McCall returned to the theme of love and moral courage, urging congregants to confront injustice while maintaining compassion: "We must confront injustices but still choose love." He warned against complacency and urged active witness, asking, “Will we succumb to the false peace of looking away?”

For Sandoval County residents, the gathering demonstrated how local faith institutions can function as civic hubs, convening cross-denominational conversation and modeling nonviolent engagement. The steady growth from a handful of initial participants to about a dozen churches suggests expanding networks that could bolster community-level initiatives and voter outreach without partisan alignment. As the annual service continues, Rio Rancho’s clergy intend to keep prioritizing conversation and coordinated action, offering a local template for faith-led civic reconciliation and public engagement.