The Pacific Southwest Region will celebrate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a special event on Sunday, January 25, 2026 at 4:00 pm PT. The annual event will take place at the Disciples Ministry Center in Fullerton – 115 E. Wilshire Avenue, Fullerton, CA 92832.
This year’s theme will be “A Moral Response for Such a Time as This,” based on the scripture from Esther 4:14 (CSB-Christian Standard Bible): If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place, but you and your father’s family will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.
Featured at this year’s MLK Jr. Celebration will be Rev. Terry “TJ” Coon, Jr., Senior Pastor at Abundant Life Christian Church. For those who are unable to attend in person, the MLK Jr. Celebration will be live streamed on our Disciples PSWR YouTube channel.
“Disciple of the Year” Award
Included in the event was a presentation of the annual “Disciple of the Year” award. An award to honor the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was established by the Pacific Southwest Region (PSWR) in 1974. Each year since that time, one or more members of a Disciple congregation in the PSWR have been recognized for their efforts on behalf of justice and peace, either in their local community or through organizations and initiatives serving these causes beyond the congregation and surrounding communities, nationally and globally. Nominations are accepted annually by December 5th. Please read the guidelines on the nomination form and recommend an individual(s), congregation or unit who meet those criteria whom you feel ought to be considered for this honor.
2025 Disciple of the Year Recipient, Rev. Nereyda “Neddy” Yong
Last year’s 2025 recipient was Rev. Nereyda "Neddy" Yong from First Christian Church, Pomona. Rev. Neddy is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and trained Spiritual Director whose passion is to support diverse families with resources that nurture a compassionate and just spirituality in daily life. She currently serves as project co-director of the Radically Inclusive Parenting Project, an initiative of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, centering the well-being of children and their parents/caregivers as a way to foster healing, wholeness, and liberation in the world.
Her forthcoming book, Sacred Parenthood: Spiritual Practices for the Highs and Lows of Parenting (Herald Press, 2025) speaks to the ways the Christian contemplative tradition can be passed on to modern households. She has also received her Masters in Business Administration and is a devoted mother herself, raising her four young children alongside her lifelong partner, Rev. Dr. Aizaiah Yong.
MLK Jr. Student Scholarship
Did you know that the MLK Jr. Student Scholarships given each year are funded directly from the previous years donations? It’s true! That means YOU have the opportunity to support the 2026 scholarship!
If you’d like to donate now, here are a few ways to do so:
1. Visit our MLK Jr. Scholarship donation site
2. Call the PSWR office at (626) 296-0385 and donate by phone
3. Mail a check to the PSWR office at 115 E. Wilshire Ave., Fullerton, CA 92832 with the memo: “MLK Scholarship Fund.”
We invite you to enjoy the video from last year’s 2025 MLK Jr. Event on our Disciples PSWR YouTube channel.