Carla Clark | For The Republic Bishop Johnnie Edwards, Abundant Harvest Ministries, speaks during the Columbus Unity Church Service, at the Commons, Columbus, Ind., Sunday, January 21, 2024.
Unity sounded like this Sunday morning at The Commons in downtown Columbus: spirited, grooving, hand-clapping cadence.
Bluesy, Black gospel funk. Staccato, emotional, organ spurts on exuberant steroids.
And worship and praise so loud that it could be partially heard outside on the sidewalk.
So it was when Blacks, whites, Latinos, and others gathered for the second annual Columbus Unity Church Service, functioning as a preliminary kickoff to February’s Black History Month Columbus.
An estimated crowd of 250 people — Pentecostals, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, you name it — joined together chiefly with those from the area’s predominantly Black churches for the sake of togetherness, “to set an example for others,” as organizing Pastor Frank Griffin of Calvary Community Church put it earlier in the month.
“Where the people of God are and his spirit is, there is liberty,” said keynote speaker Bishop Johnnie Edwards of the newly formed Abundant Harvest Ministries International.
You want an example of liberty? How about the older woman who stepped into the center aisle more than halfway through the service to jubilantly dance in a circle like no one was watching.
Or how about another senior woman whipped into such fervor over Edwards’ hyper-kinetic, fiery message that she stood and began pointing her cane at him while joyously shouting.
Did not the initial Scripture of the morning from Psalm 100 proclaim “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord”?
This crowd seemed uninhibited about cranking up the volume.
“I hope you didn’t come here to spectate,” Edwards said. “Because I am not an entertainer.”
Unfolding before him was a rousing, rollicking revival somewhat uncommon for The Commons, normally hosting more-staid concerts, annual meetings, fundraisers and such. Amid all the energy were community leaders such as Mayor Mary Ferdon, Bartholomew County Sheriff Chris Lane, and city council members Tom Dell and Jerone Wood.
On hand to support the organizing clergy were other ministers such as former Pastor Mark Teike and Pastor Felipe Martinez of First Presbyterian Church.
Solo vocalist Felicia Garr with the African American Community Choir spoke this just before she broke into song: “The Bible tells us that when praises go up, blessings come down,” she said.
Others chimed in with similar sentiments.
The choir’s Terri Green Roddie urged people to be expectant.
“C’mon,” she said. “God’s got a blessing today with your name on it.”
And James Wood, anther vocalist who has led spirited worship for years at a variety of these specialized services, eased into an unscripted, a cappella number when he began singing, “You won’t leave here like you came, in Jesus’ name … .”
Bishop David C. Bosley reminded attendees in his rhymes that he believes that “God has more in store in 2024.”
Griffin asked people to press into that kind of faith and vision.
“It’s not seeing and believing,” he said. “It’s believing and then seeing.”
