St. Augustine’s Episcopal Peace Fellowship will honor the nonviolent witness of Martin Luther King, Jr. at its annual Whidbey “Blessed Are the Peace Makers” gathering next week.

The annual event is 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18 at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church in Freeland. It will be preceded with a free lunch at noon in Campbell Hall.

This year’s theme is the “Beloved Community.” King articulated in many of his speeches and sermons the concept or vision of a Beloved Community. For Dr. King, the Beloved Community was not a lofty utopian goal, according to a recent news release. Instead, he envisioned the Beloved Community as a realistic, achievable goal that could be attained by a critical mass of people committed to and trained in the philosophy and methods of nonviolence, the release said.

The Beloved Community is inclusive. A community where the spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood reign and where bigotry, racism and all forms of discrimination will not be tolerated.

“At the core of Dr. King’s vision of a Beloved Community is love and reconciliation,” the release said. “‘The end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the Beloved Community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opponents into friends. … It is this love which will bring about miracles in the hearts of [men and women].’”

As in past years, a narrative text read from the pulpit will interact with readings from the pews. The readings will provide historical background to events in the Movement where the Beloved Community experience was manifested.

Mary Sandford will give a short homily on the Greensboro, North Carolina Truth and Reconciliation Commission, or TRC, based on the South African model. Also, a key component of the service will be music.