Depot Street Park in downtown Greenfield attracts crowds throughout the summer for free concerts.
Multiple churches plan to come together later this month for community worship nights outdoors.
In recent years, a worship night in Fortville’s Landmark Park has been an annual event. This year, a group in Greenfield also plans to unite for a service at Depot Street Park.
“I really believe that, across Greenfield and across the county, that we sense a movement of God in a special way,” said Paul Galbraith, one of the pastors at Brandywine Community Church in Greenfield. “People really have a desire .. (to) encounter his presence in worship.”
Galbraith said individual congregations have had special nights focused on prayer and singing worship music. As he’s experienced those himself or talked to others about ones at their churches, people have found those moving. One night as three pastors from different churches sat watching their young sons practice basketball in the same gym, they talked about what it might be like to bring churches together for an evening, he said.
“It’s really just trying to unite all the different churches around our county and our area,” said Nick McKinney, minister of worship at Park Chapel Christian Church in Greenfield. “… We’re not here to promote our own church or anything … The one thing we should be united around is Jesus.”
The aim is to spend the Sept. 29 service in worship, in prayer for the community, and in sharing Communion.
“We really wanted to keep it … simple and focused,” Galbraith said.
The intent is also to have a combined team of musicians and singers leading the music. McKinney said as the team has discussed song selection, it’s tried to include some tunes that, “no matter what denomination or background you’re coming from,” would be familiar.
People of different churches will also share music during an event in Fortville, a Sept. 15 gathering in Landmark Park. They’ll form a choir for the worship night there.
Ken Primeau, lead pastor of Mercy Road Church Northeast, said it’s a festival atmosphere in the park as people arrive for the annual worship night. Food trucks, bounce houses and games such as cornhole are available for an hour before the service begins.
Then seven churches, and anyone else who wants to come, gather for singing and a message. Fortville Christians Unite is a group of seven churches in Vernon Township. They work together volunteering at Fortville Area Resource Mission. They also contribute food for holiday meal boxes distributed by the FARM pantry, with one church collecting boxed potatoes, one collecting stuffing and so on.
“Throughout the year the churches partner together,” Primeau said. “… Then the time of worship is a chance for us to be outside, enjoying being out in nature and getting to worship God together with other churches.
“There’s definitely a spirit of unity in it.”
WORSHIP NIGHTS
Fortville: Fortville Christians Unite plans “One Night of Worship,” set for Sept. 15 in Landmark Park, 201 E. Staat St. Food trucks, bounce houses and games open at 4 p.m. The worship gathering runs from 5-6 p.m. An after party from 6-8 features continued activities, plus youth games such as ultimate Frisbee.
Greenfield: Various churches are promoting Community Worship Night at the Depot, set for 6 p.m. Sept. 29 at Depot Street Park, 251 Depot St. Those who go are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. The service includes music, prayer and Communion. Some song sheets will be available with lyrics, and also possibly a QR code that would bring them up on a person’s device. People who can walk an extra block or two are encouraged to park farther out, so those with mobility issues can find parking close to the park.
