But Dr. King's role as a "man of the cloth'' often gets lost amongst his accomplishments with the struggle for racial equality.

On Monday Americans will officially celebrate the birthday of the preacher who was both a man of God and a man of the people.

James Cone, author of the 1969 book Black Theology and Black Power, wrote of the slain leader: "King saw clearly the meaning of the gospel with its social implications and sought to instil its true spirit in the heart and minds of black and white in this land.

"He was a man endowed with the charisma of God; he was a prophet in our own time. And like no other black or white American he could set Black people's hearts on fire with the gospel of freedom in Christ which would make them willing to give all for the cause of Black humanity.'' And here in Bermuda, several local organisations will commemorate Dr. King's birthday with various activities.

In honour of Dr. King's birthday, the local discussion group, Beyond Barriers, held a Community Dialogue at Dellwood School on Wednesday.

The Progressive Labour Party will host this afternoon "A Tribute to Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr. and to L. Frederick Wade JP MP'' at St. Paul AME Centennial Hall.

The event will include speeches, performances by the Dellwood Choir and the Empress Menen Dance Troupe, debates and a play written by Dale Butler.

The Drum Major Awards will be a special feature of the day's activities, said PLP public relations officer Michael Scott.

This afternoon's activities will run from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

And the American Ladies in Bermuda will hold a Dr. Martin L. King Jr. Walk tomorrow at 2 p.m. at Bethel AME Church in Hamilton Parish.

Dr. King, born on January 15, 1929, was ordained a Baptist minister in 1947 and studied theology at Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania, and Boston University.

During an interview two years before his death, Dr. King said: "The church once changed society. it was then a thermostat of society. But today...the church is merely a thermometer, which measures rather then moulds popular opinion.'' As a pastor of a black church in Montgomery, Alabama, Dr. King led a successful year-long bus boycott to protest racial segregation on the public transit.

And he also helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, which organised civil rights activities throughout the south.

Dr. King once said: "My religion has come to mean more to me than ever before. I have come to believe more and more in a personal God -- not a process, but a person, a creative power with infinite love who answers prayers.'' In 1968, at the age of 37, Dr. King was shot to death by James Earl Ray in Memphis, Tennessee.

Mr. Cone said of the killing: "Like the prophet of old, he had a dream, a dream grounded not in the hopes of white America but in God.

"Nor did the dream of the future relieve him of responsibilities in the present; instead it made him fight unto death in order to make his dream a reality.'' Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.