FARMINGTON – The annual Martin Luther King Jr. memorial service will be held at Franklin Memorial Hospital this year, with donations from the event going to help the homeless.

The ecumenical service provided by local churches will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Monday in the Bass Room at FMH. The hospital will co-sponsor the event with the Franklin Area Ecumenical Ministry.

The sermon will be based on King’s “I Have A Dream” speech through a film clip from the black history collection, said the Rev. Susan Crane from Henderson Memorial Baptist Church. The worship will be led by clergy and lay people from the community.

The black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice,” and “We Shall Overcome” will be sung with Patricia Hayden serving as accompanist.

A freewill offering will be taken for FAEM to help the Homeless Coalition raise matching money for a grant it has received, she said.

The Homeless Coalition is a group brought together by Ernie Gurney of New Beginnings and Lisa Laflin from the Healthy Community Coalition and others, said the Rev. Cathy Wallace of First Congregational Church.

After studying the homeless situation in Franklin County where there is no shelter, the group saw a need, Wallace said. But instead of building a shelter, the group proposed a fund, similar to the heating and security deposit funds supported by FAEM. One fund, administered by Western Maine Community Action, provides emergency oil assistance. It’s supported by donations from churches and the public.

The Homeless Coalition applied to the United Way for a $5,000 matching grant with a plan to create a fund and have Western Maine Community Action administer funds to cover housing needs. It could pay motel bills or help with the extra money needed to get an apartment and sometimes other needs associated with homelessness, Wallace said.

The First Congregational Church donated $2,000 to the fund, leaving another $3,000 to be raised, she said. The $2,000 donation was matched by the United Way, which gives the fund $4,000 to help meet housing needs, she said.

The hospital had expressed interest in co-sponsoring an event with FAEM and ministry members felt this service would be a good one, Wallace added.