Martin Luther King, Jr. Christian Church (MLK Church) was founded based on the needs of a small group of Christians living in Reston, VA who wanted a worship service for their children similar to what they had experienced while growing up, a worship experience that was meaningful and life transforming.
A great retelling of our history is heard at various yearly events in which one would hear the mentioning of “crabs from heaven”. On a Sunday evening in July 1981, the aforementioned Christians gathered at the home of Janice and Rodney Scott to have a crab feast, and from that feast, a very powerful prayer meeting began that led to the first discussions of a worship community.
On January 15, 1982, twelve Christians gathered at the home of Adelle and John Arthur Jones and decided to form a church, the name of the church was to be Martin Luther King, Jr. Church. This name was selected because it symbolizes the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr. who was a believer and follower of Jesus Christ and who like Jesus, also had compassion for the oppressed. The first worship service was held at the Southgate Community room in Reston, Virginia on Sunday, February 7, 1982.