Ultimate Concern

We who must keep the church going and keep it alive have certain basic guidelines to follow—to preach good news to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted...to set at liberty them that are captives. You see, the church is not a social club. The church is not an entertainment center. The church has a purpose. The church is dealing with ultimate concern. Sunday after Sunday, week after week, people come to church with broken hearts. They need a word of hope.... The church heals the broken-hearted.

—The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)