For Delaware pastor, reciting Martin Luther King Jr.'s speeches is "a spiritual movement"
Wednesday, Jan. 15 marks the day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have turned 96 years old. Though King's life was tragically cut short, a local pastor discovered his mission was to honor King's life and legacy through the civil rights leader's iconic speeches.
Past the red doors of the historic Calvary Baptist Church in Chester, Pennsylvania, Rev. Dr. John Moore stands at the pulpit to recite the words of King's final speech: "We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountain top."
"I've Been to the Mountain Top" was delivered by King on April 3, 1968, at a church in Memphis, Tennessee, amid a strike by the city's sanitation workers.
Following in King's footsteps, Moore said being inside Calvary Baptist and standing in the same spot as King when he first started in ministry is surreal.
"From 1948-1951, he was a student at Crozer Theological School in Chester and he came here at this church under the mentorship of Rev. J. Pius Barbour," Moore said.
Moore's voice and cadence are spot-on with King's.
Moore was raised in North Philadelphia. Now the senior pastor of the Dover Christian Church in Dover, Delaware, he said King inspired his dedication to humanity when he was 11 years old after he heard the "I Have a Dream" speech for the first time.
"I started memorizing his speeches," Moore said. "Learning those speeches and being able to do them as close to his uncanniness."
With more than 30 years of practice performing in front of hundreds, Moore was tapped to perform at the opening of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 2011.
"As I'm speaking, I looked over to my right I'm going 'I have a dream,' and his son is looking at me — Martin King III giving me a thumbs up," Moore said.
Moore knows more than a dozen of King's speeches by heart.
"It's not just entertainment. It's a spiritual movement for me," the pastor said.
To this day, Moore still gets excited as he steps into character, hoping to teach King's legacy for all to embrace.
On Friday, Jan. 17, Rev. Moore will perform for free at Bally's Casino Ballroom. "Echoes of a Prophet, featuring professional dance artist Imani Kai and local singer Anna Moore, will begin at 11 a.m.