In spite of the bitter divisiveness that continues to plague the country, members of Second Baptist Church are looking bring Dowagiac together around a common message of tolerance and acceptance this weekend.

The church will host its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day festivities beginning at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The event begins with a march from Dowagiac City Hall downtown to the church, located at 203 N. Paul St., followed by a program and lunch inside the chapel.

Those who do not wish to march to the church are welcome to drive instead. The program will begin at 3:30 p.m., led by Second Baptist Church member Don Nash, who is organizing this year’s march.

Following Nash’s introduction, a group of teenage members of the church will deliver excerpts from King’s famed “I Have a Dream” speech, which the civil rights leader delivered in Washington D.C. on Aug. 28, 1963.

“We have had adults doing it all this time, so we will have teenagers deliver the speech this year,” Nash said.

Delivering the sermon that afternoon will be Second Baptist pastor Maurice Broadway.

Following Broadway’s speech, visitors are invited to enjoy a meal of soup and chili in the church basement, Nash said.

Second Baptist has hosted programs celebrating the national holiday for around 30 years, and has organized the march for the past 12, Nash said.

“It is about unity, about coming together,” Nash said.

The event is open to the public.