It was an ordinary Monday in April 2019 when Deacon Ronald Milburn locked the door when he left the Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas. Hours later, a 2 a.m. call was anything but ordinary.

This coming Sunday at 2 p.m., the church will host a highly emotional service to celebrate their triumphant return.

I didn’t sleep much last night because I was so full of anticipation...” said Deacon Ronald Milburn. “...of telling the community thank you for the job they did to help us get to this point." ...

At Union Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, where the 45th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Noon Hour Commemoration occurred, the convergence of the two events couldn’t have been clearer.