Summit Church Showcases Musical of MLK Jr’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”

Let Justice Roll is a musical adaptation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," composed and arranged by Mark Miller, Musical Director at Christ Church. 

The letter will be read by Gaius Charles, Emmy-award winning actor, known for his role as Brian "Smash" Williams on NBC's Friday Nights Lights. Several well-known area choirs including the Good News Choir of Plainfield, the Ubuntu Pan Af Choir of Drew University, and the Christ Church Chance Choir and Youth Choir will perform. Saturday February 25th at 7:30 PM.

The admission price is $15.00 per person and tickets/donations can be purchased online here. Tickets (limited) available at door.

Christ Church is an interdenominational, open and affirming congregation affiliated with the United Church of Christ and American Baptist Church. Rev. Dr. Charles Rush is senior mistier. Christ Church is located at 561 Springfield Ave.

For more information call (908) 273-5549 or www.christchurchsummit.org 

More about the participants:

Mark A. Miller – Director and principal composer

Mark Miller is Minister of Music of Christ Church in Summit. He is also Assistant Professor of Church Music at Drew Theological School and Lecturer in the Practice of Sacred Music at Yale University.  He believes passionately that music can change the world. He also believes in Cornel West's assertion that  “Justice is what love looks like in public”. His dream is that the music he composes, performs, teaches and leads will inspire and empower people to create the beloved community.

From 2002 to 2007 Mark was the Director of Contemporary Worship at Marble Collegiate Church and from 1999 to 2001 he was the Music Associate and Assistant Organist at Riverside Church, both in New York City. Mark regularly travels around the country to perform concerts and lead worship, workshops and retreats. He has published music with Abingdon Press, Chorister's Guild, and Pilgrim Press and his songs are found in the hymnals The Faith We Sing, For Everyone Born, Zion Still Sings, Sing! Prayer and Praise, Amazing Abundance and others.

Mark's organ work, Toccata on “God Rest Ye Merry” (recorded in 2000 on the Gothic label), was featured on National Public Radio's program Pipe Dreams. James Earl Jones was the narrator of his original work, Let Justice Roll: Song from a Birmingham Jail, when it was featured on NBC’s program Positively Black. Mark is also the Composer-in-Residence for the Harmonium Choral Society, based in Morris County, New Jersey.

Mark received his Bachelor of Arts in Music from Yale University where as a senior he was awarded the Yale Bach Society Prize. He received his Master of Music in Organ Performance from Juilliard.  His recorded CDs are available for download at: www.markamillermusic.com

Gaius Charles - Narrator

Emmy-award winning actor, recently appearing in the “Pan Am” TV series, as well as the series “Friday Night Lights”, “Law & Order: SVU”, and the film “The Messenger”,  Gaius has been heavily involved in Youth Ministry for the past 8 years. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a BFA in drama, and studied in Australia at NIDA (National Institute for Dramatic Arts). Gaius was born in New York City and raised in Queens, New York, and northern New Jersey. Mr. Charles grew up in the childhood home of Alan Silvestri, the renowned film composer (Forrest Gump, Cast Away, Back to the Future). 

About the Christ Church Chancel Choir

Drawn from church members, the Chancel Choir has long played a pivotal role in worship services at Christ Church. It has always been a close-knit, supportive group that enjoys bringing an eclectic range of music to the congregation.

About the Christ Church Youth Choir 

Christ Church has several choirs for children and youth of different ages. The Youth Choir is the newest one – having been formed in January with extremely gifted singers who are in high school and college.

About the Good News Community Choir

The Good News Community Choir was formed in 2007. It is an in-emotionally inclusive multicultural and multiethnic group, welcoming people of all ages, races, sexual orientations, and abilities. Although based in Plainfield, its members come from churches throughout the metropolitan area including students from Drew University. The choir's repertoire reflects the theme of social justice, and that God's love is meant for all people. The Good News Choir has performed in churches throughout the New Jersey metropolitan area and has twice performed by invitation to sold out audiences at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

About the Ubuntu Choir of Drew University

The Ubuntu Pan African Choir was founded in the fall of 2006. Its mission is to bring students together over lines of racial-ethnic, cultural and religious differences to sing together songs of freedom and liberation. The group is a 30-voice, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural choir comprised of Drew students who celebrate the diversity of music from the African Diaspora.

— by Christ Church