Twelve years ago, before a day was...

Twelve years ago, before a day was designated to recognize the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s contribution to the struggle for racial justice in the United States, two members of the Los Angeles religious community envisioned a gathering that would symbolize the civil rights leader’s vision of a “beloved community.”

The Rev. Dumas Harshaw, then associate pastor of Trinity Baptist Church, and Glen Poling, program director for the National Conference of Christians and Jews, took their idea to the new director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Mark Ridley-Thomas, now a Los Angeles city councilman.

Their vision, nourished by intergroup cooperation and hard work, blossomed into the annual Interfaith Prayer Breakfast sponsored by the two organizations.

More than 350 civil, political, religious and community leaders--representing almost all racial, ethnic and religious groups in Southern California--are expected to attend the 12th annual breakfast at 8 a.m. Wednesday at Trinity Baptist Church in Los Angeles. The national holiday is observed Monday, Jan. 18.

The Rev. Norman S. Johnson Sr., pastor of the First New Christian Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, will deliver the keynote address, “The Divine Presence in a Pluralistic Ethos.”

The National Conference of Christians and Jews is a non-sectarian, multiethnic group that provides education and training in human relations. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was founded by King in the 1960s to advance civil rights and his message of nonviolence.

In addition, the Interreligious Council of Southern California and the American Jewish Committee’s Interreligious Committee have cooperated in organizing the breakfast, said Lucky Altman, program specialist for the National Conference of Christians and Jews.

The council represents a cross-section of world religions with a presence in the Southland--including Baha’i Communities, the Board of Rabbis, the Buddhist Sangha Council, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Southern California Ecumenical Council (representing several Protestant groups), the Greek Orthodox Church, the Buddhist Church Federation, the Episcopal Diocese, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese, the Sikh Dharma and the Vedanta Society. The program will reflect this religious and ethnic diversity.

The event will be highlighted by the release of the Interreligious Council’s statement, “The Common Concern for the Common Good,” a manifesto of religious leaders designed to stimulate public discussion of a Ford Foundation report entitled “The Common Good.”

Had some of the 1989 report’s recommendations been enacted, council spokespersons said, they “would have helped to prevent” the civil disturbances last year. These include meeting the nation’s social challenges through public and private reform of health, education and welfare policies.

Tickets for the interfaith breakfast are $15 and reservations are required. Trinity Baptist Church is at 2040 W. Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles. For information, phone the National Conference of Christians and Jews at (213) 385-0491.

KING DAY

* The Southern Christian Leadership Conference holds its 16th annual Martin Luther King Jr. birthday dinner celebration at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 18 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel. The Rev. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., executive director of the Commission for Racial Justice of the United Church of Christ, will speak. Tickets are $75.

On Monday, the organization holds an open house and art exhibit from 4 to 7 p.m. at its office, 4182 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles. (213) 295-8582.

* “What Happens to a Dream Deferred?” is the title of an all-day symposium at 9 a.m. Jan. 16, at the Kinsey Auditorium Museum of Science and Industry. The Rev. James M. Lawson, pastor of Holman United Methodist Church and president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, will speak, as will poets, scholars and civil rights leaders. Sponsored by SCLC, UCLA Extension and Center for Afro-American Studies and the California Afro-American Museum. Registration is $20, $10 for students. (310) 825-2272.

* Lutherans throughout greater Los Angeles come together for their 12th annual worship celebration and Holy Communion service commemorating King at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 17, at Messiah Lutheran Church. The Rev. J. Roger Anderson, bishop of the Southern California West Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, presides. The Rev. James J. Lobdell, pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, will preach. The synod’s Commission for Multicultural Ministries and the New City Parish Pastors are coordinating the service. Music is selected to appeal to many ethnic and age groups. The address is 1201 W. Manchester Ave., Los Angeles. (213) 387-8183.

* The South Coast Ecumenical Council presents its Martin Luther King Jr. Interfaith Celebration at 3 p.m. Jan. 17, at St. John Baptist Church in Long Beach. The multicultural celebration in word, song and fellowship will feature Bishop Carl Fisher of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles; Imam Haroon Abdullah of the Masjid Al-Shareef Islamic Center, Long Beach; the Rev. Joe Ealey of Gospel Memorial Church of God in Christ, Long Beach; Fareshta Bethal, a Bahai community member; Rabbi Howard Laibson of Temple Israel of Long Beach, and a multicultural children’s choir, among others.

Admission is free, but the council hopes that donations from the audience will help pay for a Martin Luther King Jr. monument in Long Beach. The church is at 741 E. 10th St., Long Beach.

* The Los Angeles Reconstructionist (Jewish) Community of Havurot sponsors a tribute to King at 6 p.m. Jan. 17, at the Sepulveda Unitarian-Universalist Society in North Hills. Evening services will be followed by a discussion, “Ethnic Relations in Los Angeles: Where Are We Now?” The address is 9559 Haskell Ave., North Hills. (310) 459-0176.

* A King holiday observance interfaith celebration will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 18, at the Pavilion at Santa Monica Community College. The event is sponsored by the Martin Luther King Westside Coalition. The Rev. James M. Lawson is the keynote speaker. The address is 1900 Pico Blvd. (213) 295-8582.

DATES

The California Chapter of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights holds its next dinner Jan. 16, at the Casa Italiana, after 6 p.m. Mass at St. Peter’s Church, 1039 N. Broadway, Los Angeles. Reservations are required. Tickets are $25 through the Catholic League, 16 S. Oakland Ave., Suite 216, Pasadena, CA 91101. (818) 792-5111.

* A four-day conference for Jewish seniors will be held Jan. 15 through Jan. 18 at the Breuer Conference Center in the Santa Monica Mountains in Malibu. The weekend will feature study, relaxation, recreation and entertainment. Rabbis Harvey J. Fields, Shelton Donnell, Allen Freehling, Sandy Ragins and Isaiah Zeldin will participate. For information, contact Rabbi Paul Kipnes at (213) 388-2401.

* Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis on Sunday will speak on “Judaism and Homosexuality: Gay Rights and Jewish Rites.” at his “Sunday Morning Live!” series at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino. On Jan. 17, the topic is “Patrilineal Descent: Should a Child be Considered Jewish if Only the Father is Jewish?” The talks start at 9:15 a.m. There is no fee. The address is 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (818) 788-6000.