This time, “The Lord’s Prayer” came at the end.

Fifty years ago, on June 30, 1974, as Alberta King, the mother of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., signaled the beginning of church services at Ebenezer Baptist Church with the playing of the “The Lord’s Prayer” on the organ, she was gunned down.

On Sunday, Alberta King’s family and the Ebenezer community remembered her in an emotional program, filled with serious reflection, music and, at times, laughter.

Deacon Edward Boykin, who was also killed that morning, and Trustee Jimmie Mitchell, who was shot, were also remembered.

“We have come to affirm that nothing can put out the light of Alberta Williams King,” said Sen. Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church. “Nothing can put out the light of Deacon Edward Boykin. Nothing can put out the light of Trustee Jimmie Mitchell.”

The theme of the program, held at 4 p.m. in the sanctuary of the historic church where the shooting occurred, was “Faith Over Fear, Love Over Hate.”

On a series of panels, Angela Farris Watkins, Isaac Farris, Bernice King and Derek King, the grandchildren of Alberta King, recalled the moment of watching the shooting and the painful aftermath.

They were joined by Warnock and U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath as well as longtime members of Ebenezer.

Sitting at a table in front of the church’s altar, on the exact spot where a wounded Alberta King was placed after she was shot, Angela Farris, her youngest granddaughter, said despite the trauma, Ebenezer will always be a sanctuary.

“It was the church that gathered around us and kept us going,” Angela Farris said. “And helped us feel love and supported.”

...continued

©2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.