Vicksburg area residents have a unique opportunity today to hear a man considered a true trailblazer and religious leader speak here.

The Rev. Fred Luter Sr., former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, is in Vicksburg today as the guest of the Rev. R.D. Bernard and King Solomon Baptist Church.

Luter was the first African American to lead that mostly white organization.

Luter’s keynote address today at 7 p.m. at King Solomon, 180 Oak Ridge Road, kicks off the church’s seventh annual Family Empowerment Weekend.

In a time when the family is more threatened than ever, the members of King Solomon are spending the weekend supporting young couples and young families who are working to live by biblical standards. The church members are focusing on ways to support and strengthen families.

The theme of this year’s event is “Raising Children of Faith,” and is based on a passage from the Book of Proverbs.

“The health of individual families determines the health of the communities,” the Rev. Bernard said. “Broken and otherwise damaged families or unhealthy families lead to broken and unhealthy communities. We have to invest in our families, so we’re really looking at parenting and raising of children because there’s no more important job than parenting.”

Amen, Rev. Bernard.

Luter, a native of New Orleans, is pastor at the Franklin Avenue Baptist Church. It had 65 members when he began as pastor in 1986. Today, it has 7,000 members.

Luter is known for taking bold stances, and his leadership in promoting the role of the family in communities.

It would behoove every church and civic organization here to follow the lead of the members of King Solomon Baptist Church and spend time focused on supporting families of all kinds who are raising children.

It takes a village to raise a child, and that village can start by supporting parents and making sure they have the tools they need to raise and nurture responsible, educated children.