- January 19, 2026
Carol Love Coffie, first lady of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church of Palm Coast, was the keynote speaker at the Martin Luther King Jr. Ecumenical Program at Palm Coast United Methodist Church. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Carol Love Coffie, first lady of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church of Palm Coast, was the keynote speaker at the Martin Luther King Jr. Ecumenical Program at Palm Coast United Methodist Church. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Palm Coast United Methodist Church Music Director Armon Flukers leads the ecumenical choir in "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Photo by Brent Woronoff
Palm Coast United Methodist Church Music Director Armon Flukers leads the attendees in "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Photo by Brent Woronoff
Palm Coast United Methodist Church Music Director Armon Flukers leads the attendees in "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Photo by Brent Woronoff
Palm Coast United Methodist Church Music Director Armon Flukers leads the ecumenical choir in "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Photo by Brent Woronoff
Owen Thompson, president of the New York City Transit Retirees of Florida Chapter 2, welcomes attendees to the Martin Luther King Jr. Ecummental Program at Palm Coast United Methodist Church. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Alana McDuffie, president of the Flagler County NAACP Youth Council, delivers an Old Testament reading. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Jaiden Williams vice president of the Flagler County NAACP Youth Council, delivers a New Testament reading. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Ashley Harrison, the 2025 scholarship recipient from the New York City Transit Retirees of Florida Chapter 2, introduces keynote speaker Carol Love Coffie. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Kassie Eugene, solist of First AME Church, sings "If I can Help Somebody" at the Palm Coast United Methodist Church Martin Luther King Ecumenical Program. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Carol Love Coffie spoke of a social security to-do list at the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Ecumenical Program on Monday, Jan. 19, at Palm Coast United Methodist Church.
Coffie, the first lady of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church of Palm Coast, serves alongside her husband, Rev. Edwin Coffie, the pastor at Mt Calvary. She was the keynote speaker at the MLK program, which was sponsored by New York Transit Retirees of Florida, Chapter 2.
Owen Thompson, the chapter's president, said, “Events like this remind us of the power of coming together. In a world that often moves too fast, moments like this allow us to pause, reflect and be inspired.”
Love Coffie reflected on the theme of the program, “Where do we go from here?”, and presented the social security to-do list, which has nothing to do with federal Social Security, she said. Rather, it’s guidance for a faith-based society. The three to do’s, she said, are to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
She described how Martin Luther King Jr. embraced all three of the actions.
“King was acting justly when he led civil rights campaigns and emphasized non-violent behavior,” she said. “He was acting justly when he advocated for voting rights, when he pushed for equal access to the ballot and when he helped bring about the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”
The second action on the list, to love mercy, “emphasizes the significance of showing compassion, kindness and forgiveness to others,” Love Coffie said.
“King thought that we are to love our enemies even in the face of brutality, and he encouraged citizens to choose reconciliation over revenge,” she said. “King exhibited his love for mercy when he encouraged forgiveness and redemptive love. He urged compassion towards oppressors believing mercy could transform hearts and society as a whole.”
King personfified the third to-do of walking humbly with God, Love Coffie said, through his servant leadership.
King preached that the struggle for justice required inner spiritual discipline, integrity and humility.
— CAROL LOVE COFFIE
“He regularly and consistently mentioned divine guidance, as is navigation system,” she said. “King preached that the struggle for justice required inner spiritual discipline, integrity and humility.”
Love Coffie said the program’s theme of where do we go from here is a challenge but also an opportunity for self-reflection. She said King’s death in 1968, “transferred his legacy and his dream into your hands, into our hands.”
The program’s offering recipient was Samaritan Ministries of Bunnell, which provides a safe and nurturing environment to women and teens experiencing trauma. For more information, go to www.samaritanministriesflagler.org or call 386-437-4372.
