The life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the focus of a special church Mass in Bridgeport Sunday.

Rev. Charlie Stallworth of East End Baptist Tabernacle told News 12 Connecticut King provided a foundation that inspired his own beliefs.

Stallworth was born in Alabama during the height of the civil rights movement when King was commanding international attention with his call for non-violent resistance.

Stallworth said the impact King was having on ordinary people was as much of a unifying force as it was a controversial one for establishment forces that rejected King's message.

"His words resonated with most people. I mean, justice, fairness, truth are terms you just can't ignore, and I think those were the attributes of Dr. King that actually reached across the line," Stallworth elaborated.

"More than Black people were involved in the movement. There were whites, there were Jews, there were other people who were involved who heard the voice of Dr. King and were just drawn into a movement larger than themselves."

When Stallworth took to the pulpit Sunday morning, what he shared with his congregation was recollections about King and the impact he continues to have as a moral force in the world.

"If I could sit down with Dr. King for 10 minutes, I would tell him first of all thank you, and I would also tell him that your life had a great impact...I would say to him the dream has come to fruition in a great way," Stallworth said.

"Dr. King was like the right person at the right place at the right time," he added.

Stallworth said he teaches King's message to kids in his church all year. He often tells young people that King visited Bridgeport, including the Klein Memorial Auditorium.