Hundreds gathered at New Mount Joy Food for Living Ministries Monday morning to remember the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Celebrating what would have been the 85th birthday of the slain civil rights leader on Jan. 15, the annual gathering included awards, music, a theatrical presentation and a powerful keynote speech by Dr. Ray McKenzie, a professor at Virginia Union University.

Speaking on the topic of “Pursuing Greatness,” McKenzie used a quote from King — “Everybody can be great … because anybody can serve.”

McKenzie said the world believes that “somehow being great depends on whether you are empowered to step on other people.” He countered that idea with King’s quote and said service can have three meanings — worship, sacrifice and ministry to other people.

“If you want to be great, you better know how to serve,” he said. “You’re not empowered to serve until you learn to worship. When you serve, you sacrifice self. Some of us make too many excuses.”

Referencing the day of service many observe in connection with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, McKenzie challenged the crowd, “Don’t just have a day of service; have a life of service.”

In honor of the theme of service, two awards were presented during the ceremony. The Suffolk Community Service Award went to Bishop William P. Wiggins, founder of the host church. His son, William P. Wiggins Jr., accepted the award for him.

“You know my father is a humble man,” he said. “He doesn’t seek accolades … but God has exalted him.”

Wiggins told a story of something that had happened just Sunday night, when an intoxicated man said he “felt the presence of God on the outside” of the church and came inside. He left sober and, as the crowd soon learned, had returned for the Monday morning service.

The elder Wiggins started the church as a lunchtime prayer group at the Planters Peanuts factory nearby.

The I Have a Dream Award was given to the Suffolk unit of the Boys and Girls Club. Director Reggie Carter accepted the award and deflected praise to his staff and board members.

“There are so many people that this is attributed to,” he said. “I will truly say that this award belongs to the staff. They work so hard to push for kids to do great things.”

He said he believed the award came this year because the club has started to incorporate Scripture memorization and other faith-based teachings into its program.

“We’re opening up the word of God to our young people,” he said.

In addition, the winners of an essay contest were recognized. The first-place winner, Antoneah Daughtry-Johnson, read her essay out loud.

“The color of one’s skin should not make a difference in the things they’re able to do,” she said. “We now have opportunities available that we need to take advantage of. I can now apply to colleges of my choice based on my grade point average and not my color. To not keep the dream alive would really be an insult to our ancestors.”

John Scott won second place in the essay contest, with Drew Phillips taking third place.

Also at the event, actress Morgan McCoy of Richmond performed an excerpt from her one-woman play, “Evolution of a Black Girl: From the Slave House to the White House,” in which she portrays 12 black women, from a young woman in Africa in the 1700s to Michelle Obama. She chose two to highlight in Monday’s service — Coretta Scott King and Rosa Parks.

“There’s something about knowing when I stand before God, you did the right thing,” she said during her portrayal of Parks, the civil rights activist who refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala., bus to a white passenger.