Several Owensboro pastors and worship leaders are uniting for a New Year’s Eve worship and prayer service to be held at Good Shepherd Church Dec. 31 at 6 p.m.
David Rodgers, worship pastor at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, said that for the past few years, several worship events have taken place in the community that bring worship leaders from different area churches together to praise God, including Worship on the Water and A Night of Hymns held earlier this year.
The idea for a community New Year’s Eve program came from Titus Chapman, worship pastor for The Refuge of Rockport in Indiana, who lives in Owensboro and who has helped organize local events, including the new community choir OBKY 1Voice.
According to Joe Christian, worship pastor for Living Hope Community Church, because of the previously well-attended community events, the worship leaders decided to host this unique event with several pastors coming to pray in a unified event.
“We want to mark this transitionary time with thanksgiving to God and with requests to God to help us,” Christian said.
Rodgers said that the event is created to focus on the positive, unifying aspects in the name of Jesus and gospel and that it is not representative of one church’s worship or expression.
“All will come together to look at He who is good, our highest priority,” Rodgers said. “Churches are not created to be an island with a message just for them.”
The program will include mostly music and singing interspersed with prayer.
“[People] are always able to find dark spots…but we will shine a light on the positives,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers said they recognize there are many New Year’s Eve events happening in the city, but this family-friendly event includes audience engagement.
“It’s a night of prayer and worship for families and a night of celebration,” Chapman said.
Worship pastors and senior church pastors representing Bellevue Baptist Church, Church for All, Good Shepherd Church, Living Hope Community Church, Matthew’s Table, Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, The Refuge of Rockport and Yellow Creek Baptist Church will participate in the unifying service.
Doors open at 5 p.m. for the free event and parking is available at Good Shepherd Church, which is located at 3031 Bittel Road.
