Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was Monday.

To honor Dr. King, West Columbia leaders Dr. Charles Jackson and West Columbia City Councilman Mickey Pringle encouraged volunteer service.

Jackson, senior pastor at West Columbia’s Brookland Baptist Church, said King’s teachings have had a major impact on his ministry.

“Fortunately, during my time in seminary at the Morehouse School of Religion in Atlanta, Georgia,” Jackson said, “I was one of 5 chosen to study Dr. King’s Educational Model for Social Change.”

Jackson examined King’s life and ministry while reading his sermons and speeches. From his studies, Jackson said he found out first-hand how service-oriented King was.

“We are great when we serve,” said Jackson. “Service to others makes us greater.”

Pringle is a volunteer who helps deliver meals to the elderly and he administers food programs to students in need when they are not in school.

“Serve is what we are supposed to do,” said Pringle. He said he has been blessed, and it’s important that he gives back to others.

Pringle also said MLK Day is an opportune time to educate younger generations about what King stood for.

“I think it’s a good time to talk to kids about the legacy of Dr. King,” Pringle said. “We need to talk to the children about what those who came before us faced and the sacrifices they made.”