It’s being billed as: “One Night; One Place; One Purpose: Jesus,” but organizers of the event want the word spread that it’s also “one community.”
“No matter where you are in life, you’re invited,” said Win Lee, a Georgia Southern senior and Statesboro native who is one of the event’s organizers. “In church. Never in church. You’re invited. Everyone’s invited.
“We want to get rid of age barriers, race barriers, denomination barriers,” said Lee, who is a member of the Kappa Alpha Fraternity. “For three hours, we’re going to forget everything else and focus on what Jesus did on the cross for us.”
The community-wide worship night takes place Sunday, May 1, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., on the GSU RAC fields.
Lee said only God could ordain how the event came together. He said that a couple of different groups in the community, unbeknownst to each other, were considering a large event to bring a revival to the community, to unite the community. Through word of mouth, the planners found out about each other and they said they began to work together for one purpose, to share the love of Jesus with the community.
GSU graduate, Sigma Chi Fraternity alumni and Worship Night organizer Michael DeLoach, also of Statesboro, said, “It all came together. Different groups of people, different places in their lives, different prayers from different places – one God. Lots of different groups and perspectives, but with the same vision.
“We’ve been talking about impacting the community to get to ‘everyday Jesus,’ not just once-a-week Jesus.”
Worship music and guest speakers are on the agenda for the evening. Some chairs will be provided, but organizers encourage participants to bring blankets and chairs and get comfortable on the field.
“Come as you are,” Lee said. “Jesus is for everybody, no matter where you are in your job, age, life; we want you to hear the good news of Jesus. He’s the only person that can change your heart. We think lives are gonna be changed.”
Pastor Donald Chavers, Jr., of Agape Worship Center, one of the guest speakers and singers for the event, said that it could be life-changing and is happy to see the community come together for one night of worship.
“At this time of racial unrest, this community event can take away the negative vibe that different races or backgrounds can’t work together,” Chavers said. “It gives us a common ground.”
Chavers said he was pleased to join in with the organizers of the worship night event.
“It shows they have a passion for Christ and the community. That’s why I was all in. When we see everybody coming out and supporting, it makes it worth all the work.”
Lee said the event has sparked great interest and much support, from on campus to beyond. But he’s quick to give God the credit for the details.
“God’s been on our side from the beginning. The campus is on fire for the event. Recently we’ve seen 18-year-olds drop everything to serve the Lord. Seems like Jesus himself walked through campus, grabbing people.
“It’s gonna be a great night. We can’t wait to see God show up and show out. And we’ll have a stage and 2,500 chairs waiting for Him.”