It was cold outside, but inside, it was HOT! The Greater Hartford Church of Christ was packed from loft to basement with over 300 disciples and friends from many New England churches coming together in appreciation of a diverse array of music styles all with one theme: praise and worship of our God.
The desire to praise God through music in a more passionate and deeply vertically minded way has been on the hearts of the disciples in the Hartford church music ministry for some time. This event was designed to pull together Christians to spend an extended amount of time in fellowship and song. The Hartford Church of Christ Band was the foundation act for the event, kicking it off with a very upbeat version of the popular song "We Worship You." The band has worked long and hard to bring new life to songs that many of our congregations have been singing for over twenty years.
A singles mixer was held prior to the event, so by the time everyone came upstairs to start praising God, their hearts were soft and ready to give back. But, in general, it would be hard to describe the mood of the room because each person who attended responded in such a personal way.
So many disciples across our churches have expressed a need and a strong desire to spend more time in singing and praising God. Many have expressed the feeling that it connects them to their Father and encourages them to want to depend on him more consistently.
Sophia Monique came all the way from New York to perform in the show and be part of the whole experience. "Sometimes you can sit back and pick out evening highlights from an event. With the Night of Praise however, I couldn’t do that because I enjoyed the whole thing," said Monique.
Jerry Maday (Worcester) spent time talking about what it means to vertically worship God. That it is not just about encouraging one another in the fellowship, it is also about encouraging our biggest fan, God himself! That interacting with God, one on one, through song, is powerful and extremely Biblical.
The crowd was moving from the very first song. Monique said, "The night exposed that the Kingdom of God is mixed with so much talent and in so many different genres." Her rapping was certainly enjoyed by the whole crowd, as her preteen daughter joined her on stage as well as another singer.
Two dance groups performed, using their unique style of music choice, energy and costume to bring emotion out of the audience. They used the small stage at the church building to bring to life the words of the songs they chose to dance to. From Philadelphia, a pink clad group of steppers named "Vibrant Vessels" uniformly stomped their beat to God and shouted their allegiance to Him.
Ross Lipencott rocked it out on his guitar with original praise songs. His partner in music was a deft rapper, Chimere Stephens, and the two voices worked so well together. They were also a testimony how in the church, all sorts of music should be able to blend together, especially when they have the same subject, GOD.
Several negro spirituals had the crowd on their feet within seconds. This group of three, Cassandra, Leslie and Marjory, "took it to church" by singing songs like "Swing Low Sweet Chariot." The stomped and clapped and the sisters and brothers in the crowd joined right in.
"One Accord" came form New York to share with us their very inspiring choices in music. These ladies, dressed in purple, encouraged the crowd with their spirit of peace and encouragement.
Leslie Byrd and her fellow singers in "Women of the Cross," a popular singing group that performs all over Hartford, CT, helped us to think about how we are all more alike than we think, with their song about the color of our skin.
Read some of the other reactions:
"Big shouts out to the Greater Hartford Church for giving us great people to praise god! I truly hope this becomes a yearly event! Thanks so much me and my daughter was encouraged Thanks to the Philly church for the fun!" - Meisha Brown (New York Church)
"I'm very excited about our schedule and the opportunity to show others how we worship and praise our Lord. Music comes from God and it is a motivational factor in all races however, in my Puerto Rican culture music is life and if music is life we need to use our God given talents to bring a service to life and to engage others in worship. God deserves the best." - Anon
"Feb 21st could literally change peoples lives!" – Josh Smith (Htfd)
"This sounds so exciting!" – Gwen Miller (New York Church)
"I'm sure our God is pleased with your convictions and desire to help fellow brothers and sisters worship our God. When we sing from our hearts, our God is pleased because that's what he wants, our heart." – Anon
"I just got really inspired and motivated to come and invite friends." – Carol Walter (Htfd)
"God was truly Glorified this weekend. I honestly didn't want the night to end. I really enjoyed the diversity of the music and dance...so many talented people in the Kingdom. It's so good to see us getting back to worship in the Kingdom!" -LaToya(Boston)
"Everyone joined forces in singing, dancing, clapping, shouting, or whatever made them happy while offering praises to God. The energy level of the congregation was at a maximum; there was never a dull moment in the entire event. The performances were exceptional. God has blessed his people with so many talents, and using them for his glory and praise is really awesome. I look forward to other events like this in the future where we can all be united in offering total praise to God." -Donna Wynter (Philadelphia)
Go to the website http://www.hartfordchurchmusic.org to find out how you can water your seed of praise and read more about how important it is to praise God through music. Also, pictures and videos will be posted from the event. You can check out comments and photos at the Facebook site: "I attended the night of praise, I am created to praise God."