By, Staff
On Sept. 6, students of many Christian denominations filled Walton Chapel for ONE, an event that highlights Christian unity by inviting the leaders of local churches to conduct a night of worship. Pastors and ministers from 10 churches attended, representing Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, and nondenominational beliefs. The theme of the night was intentional prayer modeled after Psalm 13, with emphasis on crying out to God, petitioning Him for our needs, and praising His goodness in all circumstances.
The night started with an introduction by Shannon Soard, the college life pastor at Temple Bible Church. Soard discussed the nine-year history of ONE and their goal of creating a space for Christ-followers to find unity. One of the special resources available during ONE is the group of pastors in attendance, who stand to the side during the music and take prayer requests from students throughout the night.
ONE is composed of three movements of prayer and worship. Students are encouraged to take one person they know and find two people they don’t know to worship with before the first movement begins. After the crowd mingled, Soard read the Apostle’s Creed and prayed. The worship band from Vista Community Church led the students in song.
The crowd heard a short message from Hannah Brown, the college minister at First Temple Baptist Church, on Psalm 13 and the three phases in the night’s prayer. Students are encouraged to share their burdens and pray for one another, emboldened to bring their requests to the Lord. Many at the event clustered with their arms around each other’s shoulders, praying together as the second set of songs began. Meanwhile Kyle Shipp, Taylor Valley Baptist Church’s discipleship minister, discussed the importance of praise and God’s impact on our situation. Students gathered in tight groups again to share specific praises about God’s goodness in their lives.
After a last set of worship songs, Katie Lamoreaux, the associate pastor at First United Methodist Church of Belton blessed the crowd and offered up a closing prayer. ONE ended with students linking arms across the chapel aisles to sing the doxology. As students left, many still sang snippets of worship music or cried with their friends. ONE is an impactful night of worship and Christian community-building for UMHB students and local churches.
