The Asbury United Methodist Church, Sioux Falls, will conclude its “God at the Movies” series on Sunday, August 2, reflecting on the movie “Selma”.  The Rev. Dr. Donald E. Messer will be the guest preacher.  He will speak at the 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. traditional worship services and also at the Praise & Worship service at 10:30 a.m. at Asbury located at 2425 S. Western Ave., Sioux Falls, SD.  The movie “Selma” will be shown free on Wednesday, August 29, at 7:00 p.m. at Asbury.  The public is invited to the movie and to hear Dr. Messer’s first-hand account of these historic events – and some insights into racial justice and freedom today. 
 
In the Oscar-nominated film, “Selma”, a young Martin Luther King Jr. travels to Selma, Alabama, to lead civil rights activists on a journey to win the right to vote freely and to have a voice in the electoral system.  The film portrays the police brutality, the political calculations, the passion of activists, and the tragic deaths of people who sacrificed for the cause.

Photo: The Revs. Donald Messer (right) and Kent Millard narrate some of the history of Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Selma, Ala., while attending the 50th anniversary march of “Bloody Sunday.” (Photo by Mike DuBose, UMNS)
 
Dr. Messer was a student at Boston University School of Theology in 1965 when the call came from the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. for seminarians, laity and clergy to join in the March for Freedom in Selma.  Don joined a group of 83 seminary students who traveled by bus to participate in the Selma-to-Montgomery march but it was delayed for several days.  Instead, they were part of other marches throughout Selma protesting illegal arrests and demanding voting rights for all.
 
“We left Selma, but the spirit of Selma went with us,” Don said.  “We were challenged to commit our lives to the continuing work of securing human rights for all people.”