A community celebration of the observance of the national holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be held in Bainbridge on Monday, Jan. 16.

Keynote speaker will be Rev. Craig D. Conyers, a native of Bainbridge, Ga., who now lives with his wife Sharon and two children in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He is the son of Deacon Willie J. Conyers and the late Daisy Donalson Conyers and the grandson of the late Luther Conyers Sr. and Ella Mae Brown Conyers, as well as the late R.G. and Willie P. Donalson.

Rev. Conyers is a graduate of Spotsylvania Senior High School in Spotsylvania, Virginia and a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta. He also earned a Master of Arts Degree in Ministry from the Luther Rice Seminary, Atlanta.

He was ordained a deacon on Oct. 23, 1994, at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, Murfreesboro, and went on to be licensed into the gospel ministry in 1999. He was ordained on January 20, 2002, and has served as Pastor and Senior Elder at Christ the King Bible Fellowship in Murfreesboro since January, 2007.

Theme of this year’s event is, “It’s a Struggle. Where do we go from here?”

Opening ceremonies begin at the Water Street entrance of the Decatur County Courthouse at 9:45 a.m., where Mayor Edward Reynolds and Sheriff Wiley Griffin will read proclamations. Following a welcome from Liz Tomlin, Peter Bruton will read Martin Luther King’s  “I Have a Dream” speech. Soloists Violet Jugger and Lora Akins will present vocal musical selections. Following a prayer from Rev. Jacobs, the assembly will start the march/parade, with Eddie Brinson as Grand Marshall, to Hutto Middle School. A memorial program, featuring Rev. Conyers speech and musical presentations begins at 11:45 a.m.

Following the program, a luncheon will be held for all attendees.