Mills Chapel Baptist Church to host 36th Annual Swannanoa Valley Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Gathering
Buncombe County Commissioner Jennifer Horton will deliver keynote address
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
February 2, 2026
A community choir consisting of members representing multiple Swannanoa Valley churches and led by Deacon Bobby Stafford performs at the 2025 Swannanoa Valley Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Gathering in St. James Episcopal Church. The annual fundraiser will return, Feb. 7, when it is hosted by Mills Chapel Baptist Church. Photo by Fred McCormick
In 1991, a group of local residents endeavored to preserve the legacy and teachings of a Baptist minister who envisioned a society in which a mutual sense of respect, justice and love formed the basis of human interaction.
That tradition will continue at 9 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 7, when Mills Chapel Baptists Church hosts the 36th Annual Swannanoa Valley Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Gathering. The event, which raises money to support a scholarship program for local high school students, will feature a keynote speech from Buncombe County Commissioner Jennifer Horton.
Organized by volunteers from the nonprofit Swannanoa Valley Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Corporation, this year’s gathering focuses on the theme of “Honoring the Past by Building the Beloved Community.” Supported by dozens of local businesses and individual contributors, the annual fundraiser has provided financial assistance for hundreds of Owen and Community High School graduates.
The organization awards multiple scholarships in two categories—the MLK Graduating Seniors Scholarship and the Say Their Name Scholarship—each year. All students graduating from Owen or Community High Schools who plan to enroll, full-time, in a 2- or 4-year college, are eligible for funding through the Graduating Seniors program, while the Say Their Name Scholarship, introduced through an endowment established by an anonymous donation in 2023, is available for African-American graduates of either school.
Applicants seeking a scholarship are required to provide academic transcripts, a list of extracurricular activities and work history, in addition to a 200-word essay, citing one of three speeches by King, in which they describe how the teachings of the civil rights leader inspired or influenced them. More than 100 local seniors or graduates have received initial or renewal scholarships through the fund in the past decade.
The SVMLK Prayer Gathering was held as a breakfast at Ridgecrest, the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly and Camp Dorothy Walls prior to 2020, when it altered its format in response to the COVID pandemic. It was held virtually in 2021 and 2022, and has changed locations each year since. Mills Chapel, established by local Black religious leaders in the early 20th century, is hosting the event for the first time.
Horton, a native of Buncombe County who was raised in Swannanoa, is a registered nurse, entrepreneur and founder of Living Waters Enterprises. The District 1 representative became the first African American woman to be elected to the county commission in 2024. Horton was one of three women to be recognized by the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County with the Rosa Parks Award in 2025.
The SVMLK Prayer Gathering is free and open to the public, while donations benefiting the nonprofit’s scholarship program will be accepted at the door. Donations are tax deductible and directly fund scholarships for local graduates. For more information about the Swannanoa Valley Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Corporation, including donation and volunteer opportunities and scholarship criteria, visit svmlk.org.