
Sherman Avenue United Methodist Church Rev. David Hart says that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of history’s most talked about, most quoted, and most misunderstood figures. With that in mind, Sherman Avenue United Methodist Church on Madison’s North Side will help illuminate Dr. King’s life and work by hosting the MLK Jesus’ Dream Worship Service on Sunday, Jan. 19, 9:30 a.m.
“I just think it’s vital that we remember the entire body of Dr. Martlin Luther King Jr.’s work, the entire body of his actions, and not simply snippets that we put at the bottom of our e-mails that we remember and recite as we celebrate the MLK Holiday,” Hart tells Madison365. “Those are all wonderful gestures, and they mean well, but it’s just super important to remember that not only was Dr. King not violent, but he was steadfastly in the pursuit of justice and always speaking truth to power.

(Photo by Omar Waheed)
“Six years ago, we partnered with Selfless Ambition and other community organizations to bring this event to the North Side,” Hart adds. “There weren’t many events that celebrated King’s life on the North Side and so we wanted to bring this piece to the table. We see King’s birthday, acknowledgment, and celebration as the kickoff to the year, really a call to action for the year.”
There will be a plethora of events this coming weekend in Madison to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Among them will be the MLK Jesus’ Dream Worship Service, now in its 6th year, that will begin a discussion regarding unity and MLK’s notion of the beloved community during worship, which will fuel and empower further discussions in 2025.
“The event will give people a chance to check in on our plans as it relates to justice, community work, and resolving to do those things in 2025,” Hart says. “So we are always excited to be in this space and be planning this and doing this. It’s going to be a great event.
“With this event, we’re gonna start the discussion for 2025 on the salient and important issues in the community that need to be addressed and tackled this year,” he adds. “We’re going to put the priorities on the trestle board, and we’re going to tackle them.”

(Photo by A. David Dahmer)
Sherman Avenue United Methodist Church is a multicultural community of faith that continues to grow on Madison’s North Side.
“We’re growing and vibrant. We’re certainly open and affirming and accepting of everyone, not in spite of who they are, but because of who they are,” Hart says. “We’re a service-oriented church. We believe deeply that the church is the primary mechanism for fighting against depression and marginalization, and we certainly partner with other agencies, organizations, schools, and individuals not only on the North Side, but all over the city and region, to try to live out that promise.”
Worship and discussion will start at MLK Jesus’ Dream Worship Service at 9:30 a.m. followed by community brunch at 10:30 a.m. The event is free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome.
“This event is absolutely open to the community. Everything is free. The brunch is free. We certainly want to link arms with everyone to get this work done in 2025,” Hart says. “We are in for some really uncertain times this year with the incoming leaders of our city, our county, our nation, and our world, and we have to focus on hyper-local connections and organizing and just be really intentional and serious about the work. So we’re looking to lock arms with everybody to get this work done.”
Sherman Church is located at 3705 N. Sherman Ave. on Madison’s North Side.