Churches in Oak Harbor are honoring Martin Luther King Jr. this year with an emphasis on joy, love and progress.

Mission Ministry Faith Center is hosting the Unity Fellowship’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day program at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 18. Everyone is welcome to partake in food and drink, skits and other activities, but the focal point of the event is a choir performance.

This year’s program theme is “Let Love Lead the Way.” Music director Robert Porter said the choir has rehearsed four times ahead of Sunday’s performance with seven songs prepared. How many of them will actually be sung depends on how many the group feels compelled to sing.

“We allow the spirit to move us to sing whatever,” he added.

Throughout Tuesday’s rehearsal, Porter emphasized expressiveness, urging choir members to move with the music. Coordinating the singers has not been too difficult, as many already sing with their individual churches’ choirs. Porter’s focus is on emotion rather than pure skill, anyways.

“It’s not even about the talent. It’s about the heart, and (the singers) come with the heart. … That’s what we want to bring, that’s what we want to promote,” he said. “It’s not about what you can do. What are you willing to do?”

Everyone, even those unaffiliated with any of the Unity Fellowship churches, are encouraged to attend. While Pastor Fannie Dean refrained from giving a number on how many people she expects to see during Sunday’s program, she did say attendees have come from as far as Greenbank, Anacortes, Burlington and Bellingham in years past.

Dean explained that love is the theme of this year’s program because that is what is needed to overrule hate. She added that while not everyone is raised the same way, harmful ideas about race learned during childhood must be forgotten and replaced.

“All of us wasn’t brought up knowing that it didn’t make a difference what color we were,” she said. “Everybody didn’t have that, so it’s almost like things gotta be torn down to be built up right on the word of God.”

Dean acknowledged the progress made towards equality, but said there is still plenty of work to be done.

Nevertheless, in the spirit of looking ahead, singer Ajorney Scott said the choir changed the lyrics of “We Shall Overcome” to “We Have Overcome.”

“Being centered and rooted in love is something we can all agree on, and focusing on that and just how much we have overcome,” Scott explained.

Beyond the lyrical message, the act of singing can be empowering and unifying, too.

“It’s exciting to be here when we’re together singing, just brings so much joy,” singer Samandra Otey said. “Singing is like — it’s actually kind of healing, to be honest with you.”