ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church is celebrating its 125th birthday.
The church was the spiritual home of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. The Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, of New York's Abyssinian Baptist Church, is set to serve as preacher for Sunday's celebration.
U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who worked alongside King in the civil rights movement, is set to receive a special honor for his dedication to racial equality and governance.
Leroy Johnson, who was the first black person since Reconstruction to be elected to the Georgia Senate and who chairs Ebenezer's board of trustees, will also be honored.
Ebenezer senior pastor Rev. Raphael G. plans to unveil a commissioned work by Atlanta-based graphic artist Donald Bermudez commemorating the church's 125 years.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
