Ryan Furr sings during a previous Worship Night in Columbus.
Submitted photo
Energetic praise will come forth even amid heartache from a cross-section of the community Dec. 2 at an interdenominational Worship Night in Columbus.
Local keyboard player and vocalist Anna Kruger, like a good psalmist, has made sure of that.
Her original song, “Even Still,” will be part of the planned two-hour gathering that last year attracted believers from more than 20 area churches — and even some curious non-believers. Part of the chorus includes the simple and straightforward lyrics directed to God:
If you won’t take the pain
Even still I’ll praise your name.
The nine-member Columbus Collective praise band, made up of singers and musicians from a mix of churches, will lead the gathering with featured speaker Adam Smith, a local student pastor. The general idea of Worship Night, launched last November before 900 people at Columbus North High School auditorium, is to emphasize the unity of Christians, no matter their background or denomination.
Veteran local worship leader Ryan Furr mentioned that last year’s attendance says something significant about the local Christian church s a whole.
“To me, that shows that there’s a real desire for unity,” Furr said. “And that’s true even though we have seen a lot of other areas of division today.”
Smith from Community Church of Columbus is scheduled to speak. He recently shared his excitement about the event in a Facebook video clip.
Locally in recent years, maybe the most unity among area Christian churches surfaces during the noontime Community Good Friday Worship Service at The Commons. That gathering organized by the Ecumenical Assembly of Bartholomew Churches still attracts people from as many as 25 different churches in some years.
The National Day of Prayer service on the first Thursday in May also used to attract that variety, but attendance for that has dipped considerably in recent years.
Judging by video clips, the age range for attendees of Worship Night looks considerably younger than for Good Friday and National Day of Prayer events.
“Very rarely do these churches come together for a united, collective worship experience,” Smith said. “(But) when God’s people get together, powerful things happen.”
Organizers are expecting a full house for the approximate 800 seats at East. That’s one reason why they are asking those planning to attend to register for free tickets at worshipnightcolumbus.org.
About a dozen churches and local ministries will have booths set up in the lobby to spread the word about their various programs and services. And financial donations collected for the night will go toward Beloved, a local nonprofit that helps children in the sometimes unsettling atmosphere of foster care.
Currently, the set list for songs for the evening ranges from national Christian music worship artists such as Phil Wickham to Elevation Worship to Brandon Lake.
“We just want to be an an encouragement to everyone,” Furr said. “And we hope that people can come away feeling refreshed.”
About the event
What: Worship Night with Columbus Collective worship band and speaker Adam Smith.
When: 6:30 p.m. Dec. 2.
Where: Columbus East High School’s Clarence E. Robbins Auditorium, 230 S. Marr Road.
Free tickets: worshipnightcolumbus.org.
