On Sunday, April 14, the MLB auditorium was filled with a crowd of worshipers, both on the stage and in the congregation. The BMCU Night of Worship was a collaborative effort between many local churches and BMCU leadership and students. The joint choir filled the stage to overflowing, with more choir members standing on the sides of the stage and the front of the auditorium. The BMCU band joined with local church orchestras to provide the music for the event.
The choir led the congregation in a night of worship through song. Participants from the different churches led in solos and scripture readings. Several members of the BMCU Exalt team also led. Mr. Don Chandler, worship pastor at Hillcrest Baptist Church in New Albany, MS, conducted the orchestra and choir. Towards the end of the night, money was taken up to support a new scholarship that would provide funds for current and future Worship Leadership majors. Sophomore Brianna Wilder was announced as the first recipient of the award.
Wilder noted the importance of the element of joint worship during the service, saying, “It’s really cool to see so many churches come together in genuine worship and get to experience that small taste of what heaven will be like! Also, from a practical standpoint, I love the song selection for this night and seeing worship literature selected that is lyrically God-focused [and] musically moving.”
Kaylee Turner is another BMCU sophomore who plans to be in worship leadership after graduation. She noted the role that the Night of Worship plays in preparing her for that future, saying, “I would say that getting ready for the upcoming night of worship has helped me to prepare for worship leadership by showing me just how much planning goes on behind the scenes of an event like this!”
Don Chandler spoke about the importance of bringing local churches together, saying, “When churches cooperate, it displays a beautiful picture on unity. Baptists for decades, even centuries now, have cooperated with each other. This night is a great example of this! I am reminded of Psalm 133:1: ‘How delightfully good it is when brothers and sisters live together in harmony!’” Speaking about his own choir specifically, he says, “As for the Worship Choir from Hillcrest in New Albany, they have always enjoyed joining with other choirs to lead worship! There’s something that cannot be matched when we join together in one accord. There is a special energy created and I believe God is pleased. Psalm 147:1 says, ‘Hallelujah! How good it is to sing to our God, for praise is pleasant and lovely.’”
