Marietta Square – Whitlock Avenue – WhitlockAvenue.com

[Updated on 7.21.2009 - sorry we had the date incorrect when this was first posted. The correct date is 7.25.2009]

This Saturday, July 25th. an event called “Worship on the Square” will be taking place from 7:30-10pm on the Marietta Square. The event is the combined efforts of various churches in Metro Atlanta for the purpose of pursuing Christian unity. Volunteers, staff, and churchgoers will converge on the Marietta Square to demonstrate the love of God in a visible way.

“Worship on the Square” will not highlight one church or organization over another; rather it will seek to unite churches under the common bond of Jesus Christ. The night will be comprised of times of prayer for the community, interspersed with uplifting music. Numerous charitable organizations will be represented and attendees will have opportunity to learn more about volunteer opportunities.

The day’s event is free to all and will be held from 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm rain or shine. It is being sponsored by local Chick-Fil-A restaurants, Coca-Cola and with the help of charitable donations. Vendors will be present to provide refreshments. A few streets will be closed off to provide for space. It has been suggested to arrive early and carpool due to traffic situations at the square.

With so many organizations shoved into a small space, one might think it would be easy to miss the message of the day, but this should not be the case. Event coordinator Debra Black insures that all of the vendors, churches, and charitable organizations are in agreement that their personal agendas are second place to the over arching theme of unity. “The community needs to see a united body of Christ,” says Miss Black. “This event is not about our own interests, it is about God’s dream for His people, to unite for His name.”

This is the first event of God willing many more to come. “Worship on the Square” was created to provide a gathering place and atmosphere of worship for people. The vision for the ministry came back in August of 2007 when Debra, who was involved in worship at her church, realized it shouldn’t just be a routine of sorts. The so called “worship service” became the reason why people showed up or didn’t. If it wasn’t entertaining or satisfied the masses, it was considered then to be unsuccessful. “We have made worship to be the very thing it isn’t about… ourselves,” says Miss Black. It was at that revelation when she started digging into the Bible to see what God’s word says about worship. It was at that point when she came across a few verses, but the one that stuck out most was Romans 12:1 which says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in the view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual or reasonable act of worship.” “Our everything belongs to God, this is our worship; giving back to the Lord out of a heart of selflessness and gratitude, ultimately to give Him our all.” She started putting her hands and feet into motion and step by step, with a lot of persistence and God guidance, she started sharing the vision to local area churches and ministries.

“Worship on the Square” is an event that in the future is going to take place under “Lives of Worship Ministries,” which is the presumed title of the 501C3 non-profit organization. For this first event they organized it under a friend’s non-profit organization called “New Leaf Ministries.” Miss Black says “The focus of our organization is to unite and encourage fellow believers to live a daily life of worship to the Lord. Our prayer is that people will experience God, His amazing love and grace, and pledge to give their all to Christ for Him to use for His Kingdom. We would be aiming low if people showed up, got their ‘fill of worship’ and left; worship isn’t just an event, it’s not just an experience on Sunday morning, it is a lifestyle. Our prayer is that this would be a life changing event, with the life changing message for people to be bold about the truth they know and live for the glory of Jesus Christ.”