The UniteBoston Celebration of Worship is only two weeks away, and we’re excited to introduce you to the members of this year’s UB worship team! This year’s team includes people of incredibly diverse races, denominations, backgrounds, and generations, which both broadens and deepens its range to authentically reflect the notion of unity within diversity found in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2). At the Celebration of Worship, this team will be inviting participation in many expressions of worship, including dance, art, and spoken word. Meet each of the musicians below to see how preparing for this event has strengthened their music, their values, and their faith! 

Name: Luisamaria Hernandez

Instrument: Soprano singer

Home Church: St. Paul Catholic Church

“I am excited to perform music that worships God in a place that has the potential to reach many. At its core, the Celebration of Worship is a great way to witness God’s love and share that with others. We have a loving God who is open to everyone, and having a place where people can come together is a great way to show this.”

Name: Shanell Alyssa

Instrument: Vocals and Acoustic Guitar

Home Church: Liberty Life Church in Avon, MA.

“The Celebration of Worship is a great opportunity for artists with mission-driven music to share it with Boston in one of the most public places in the city. I believe the goal of artists is to engage with communities, to be the cultural barometers of the times, and to speak to the hearts of humanity. “Engage Boston” promotes the idea of engaging the city from a Christ-centered perspective, and I’m all about doing just that through my art.

I think it’s really cool that we’re doing older and newer gospel songs, some contemporary Christian, and some hip-hop. The different genres of music speak to the diversity found in Christianity, and that you can experience this sort of celebration with Christ.” 

Name: Vidya S.

Instrument: Vocals

Home Church: Reservoir Church

“I am excited to join with others in song to give thanks to God. In so many ways, we are siloed in our church congregations. It is a privilege to get together and sing praise as one body in Christ. Reservoir Church envisions “a day when many in North Cambridge and Greater Boston are connecting with Jesus and our church in deep ways and absolutely thriving as a result.” The Engage Boston theme is certainly aligned with Reservoir’s vision and with our values of Connection, Everyone, Action, Freedom, and Humility in order to reach across barriers and engage one another with the love of Jesus.”

Name: Crystal Dixon

Instrument: Vocals

Home Church: Life Church in Boston

“To me, the word ‘engage’ means being intentional about participating in the lives of one another. I’m excited about this event reflecting the unity of the church body, and folks really believing and acting on the fact that we are one body. If we are one body, this means we need each other to actually function and to be who we are called to be. I think we can get lost in our churches and our denominations, and only focus on our piece of the body. Sometimes we say, “I’m the arm, and I’m only going to do arm things. I’m not going to worry about the foot–it may be hurting and crying, but I’ve got the arm to worry about” (1 Corinthians 12). I love when we push ourselves to get outside of our comfort zones, and really pay attention to one another.”

Name: Noa Carter

Instrument: Vocals

Home Church: Neighborhood Church of Dorchester and a part of Freedom Journey Outpost in Plymouth MA

“This will be my first experience with UniteBoston’s Celebration of Worship, so I most look forward to seeing everyone engaging in worship together. The act of engaging is the gospel. As the body of believers, we are to attract and involve people in our lives so that they can see Christ and in turn be drawn to Him.”

Name: Ada Ruiz Betsabe                       

Instrument: Vocals/Rap–both with the band and her own original music. 

Home Church: International Family Church in North Reading, MA

“I’m excited to see different races and denominations come together to worship Jesus. I believe that for us to impact our city as Christians, we must unite first. I am non-denominational, but I believe that engaging our city and community is at the core of what Jesus’ taught and did while on earth.”

Name: Cliff W. Chuang

Instrument: Violin

Home Church: Reservoir Church 

“I am excited to be in a worship band led by the amazing Music Director, Bil Mooney-McCoy again! Finding common group across lines of difference of all kinds is so important today. The Engage Boston theme aligns well with our values of connection, everyone, action, freedom, and humility at Reservoir.

Name: Calvin Limwell

Instrument: Keyboard

Home Church: Anchor Church Boston

“I have lived in Boston for about 7 years now. It feels like a lot of the people here are transient, with people coming and going for work and study. Boston is such a diverse city, and people come here from all over the world to study in top universities or colleges, or start companies. At this event, we are a symbol of God’s love being sent out not only to the city of Boston or the United States, but to the whole world, and engaging with people from every nation.” 

Name: Richard Mussachio

Instrument: Electric Guitar and Acoustic Guitar

Home Church: Grace Community Church 

“The Celebration of Worship symbolizes the Kingdom of God, as opposed to a homogenous group of people, like so many other worship events. This event incorporates different ages, different cultures, different colors, and that’s really important, in this time especially, because that’s what the Kingdom of God looks like.” 

Name: Doully Yang

Instrument: Electric Guitar

Home Church: Symphony Church

“If you start going to one church or one type of church for too long, you start associating your relationship with God with a very specific culture that doesn’t necessarily have to do with God, it just happens to do with the people you worship with. Something like UniteBoston’s Celebration of Worship reminds you that God is outside of all of these distinctions. There are a lot of different ways to participate in a relationship with God, and you don’t always see that when you are involved with your own church all the time. So, I’m really looking forward to seeing all of us come together and yet still be united in Jesus Christ.”

Name: Kyla Wright

Instrument: Electric Bass

Home Church: Holy Tabernacle Church

“The Celebration of Worship is about making sure that we stay united through love. Together, we can show love and worship together.”

Name: Andrew Turner

Instrument: Drums

Home Church: Light of the World Empowerment Center and Emmanuel Gospel Center in Dorchester

“I’m so excited for the Celebration of Worship this year because I love worshipping God and meeting new people. People in Boston need to see that Christians can all worship God together, and are not as different as they may seem. We often have different denominations, but we should all come together and serve one God.”

Name: Bil Mooney-Mccoy

Position: Music Production Director

Home Church: River of Life Church

“As the Music Director of this event, one of the exciting things for me is seeing people build friendships with others whom they never had met before. The highlight of my night [in our first rehearsal] was watching Rich and Duay talking. They played fantastically, but there’s these two people who never would have met if it weren’t for this event. They found they had so much in common, and if you looked at the two of them, they never would have realized that. It’s a gift to see people who have have nothing but Jesus in common to meet each other and grow in faith.

The audience can expect high quality music: some songs they know and a lot of songs they don’t know, with a lot of variety.”

Name: Chloe Gaydos

Position: Production Coordinator Director

Home Church: Reality Church

“A lot of pastors tell their congregations to come to the Celebration of Worship because you’ll hear your favorite worship songs but you will also step outside of your own Christian bubble to experience something different. Engage Boston means that as a Christian, I have been called to step outside of my comfort zone to relate to other Christians from different backgrounds. If I prioritize those relationships, then I will be able to repaint a picture of what my non-Christian friends see as the role that faith plays in my life.”

By: Kelly Fassett, UniteBoston Team Leader

The UniteBoston celebration of worship on August 17th is proving to be a monumental gathering! Here are eight reasons why you should plan to come:

1. We rarely have the opportunity to gather together publicly as Christians

The longest recorded prayer of Jesus is for the oneness of His disciples: “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:20-21)

We come together because it is the direct expressed will of Christ that he prayed for, and the New Testament frequently references the need for unity among all who are claiming the name of Jesus. Yet often, our churches function within our own congregational or denominational walls, which can be isolating. This is especially true in Boston, where being a Christian puts you in the minority. We need to capitalize on every opportunity to come together and see how God is working beyond our own context because in doing so, we realize that we are just one small part of a whole. Core to UniteBoston’s mission is to build relationships between Christians of varying backgrounds so we can see one another as members of the broader Christian family and reach out to serve our neighbors. This strengthens the gospel movement that we are seeing locally and helps to identify opportunities for collaboration.

2. It’s an opportunity to impact the public perception of Christianity

Unfortunately, many people today have a negative view of Christianity, and the press tends to focus on negative stories. We recognize that our churches and institutions aren’t perfect, but there are a lot of people doing good work and serving as Jesus’ hands and feet in our city that rarely get recognized! 

This event is celebratory, in that we seek to highlight and celebrate the ways that God is at work in our city through churches, ministries, and individuals seeking to be faithful to the gospel. Together, our witness is magnified as we come together to stand together for what the church is for, rather than being known for what we are against: for engaging our neighbor across barriers with unconditional love, joy, and fellowship.

3. This event is geared towards engaging people who don’t normally attend church

John 17 points out that our unity as Christians is meant to be a witness to the world about the reconciling power of Jesus Christ. Because of this, this summer, we are calling this event “Engage Boston: UniteBoston’s Celebration of Worship” (rather than simply “UB Summer Worship Night.”) Our use of the term “engage” speaks to how we desire to minister to people who might not normally go into a church building.

It’s a fun event with innovative, fresh music, in an informal park setting. At this gathering, all people can take part in the event through singing, dance, spoken word, and painting. We’ll also have a tent for people who want to learn more about the Christian faith or receive prayer.

4. It highlights diverse forms of worship and Christian expression

There are many ways to worship and praise God, and this event is designed to highlight the beautiful myriad of Christian worship in our city. UniteBoston’s music production, coordinated by Bill Mooney-McCoy, has incorporated a variety of local artists in the program, including local Christian hip-hop artist Caleb McCoy, spoken word artist Fugi, and Boston Found, a local Christian a capella group. We have a worship band of Christians that bring together Gospel, Traditional, Pentecostal Indonesian jazz, hip hop, rap, and Latino music and worship styles. There will be a charismatic dance group coming to lead the crowd in dance moves. Finally, Lori Dupre will be leading a team of artists to form an “artist’s row” near the stage on the grass. We are hoping that there will be something for everyone, as well as the opportunity to experience the vibrancy of the Christian faith in new ways.

5. You can see the great work that is happening within a variety of local churches and ministries

At the event, there will be sponsored tables where 20+ different churches and ministries will sit at tables surrounding the perimeter of the event to share about their inspiring work in the city. This is a great way to see what is happening within the larger Christian community. Seeing churches working collaboratively, side by side, also models the body of Christ that we are created to be.

If you are interested in sponsoring a table, the cost is $200 to $500 depending on your organization size. All proceeds go to support the costs of hosting this event. You can learn more here and email Kelly at kelly@uniteboston.com for more information.

6. It is part of an entire week of outreach opportunities 

More than a single evening event, this year we are collaborating with local ministries to incorporate Christian outreach throughout the week. One of these ministries is Boston Pide Vida, a one-week missionary outreach that draws people to Christ through unconventional ways of sharing the gospel, such as through art and music. From August 10th-17th, 2019, both international and local Pide Vida missionaries will share the love of God in Boston and other cities by serving them in parks, streets, shelters, colleges, and youth centers. To connect with Boston Pide Vida, email them at bostonpidevida@gmail.com

Also, on the day of the event, we will be partnering with Jesus Across the Border, a Catholic young adult’s ministry, for a lunchtime community service opportunity. We will be making loving connections and deliver bags and sandwiches to individuals in the Boston Common area. Click here for more information! 

7. It’s endorsed by many different church bodies

This event has received endorsements from Park Street Church, the Black Ministerial Alliance, and the Paulist Center. We are also having a launch party on Sunday August 4th, where you can meet some of the key leaders and musicians, and take home postcards to share with your community. Thanks to the efforts of many people to help get the word out, there are already 500+ people who are interested/attending the event on Facebook. Please come, and invite friends and neighbors to join you!

8. Worshipping together is transformative

There is nothing like joining our hearts together in worship, and throughout the eight years of UniteBoston’s ministry, we have seen that God really shows up when we come together from all of our different backgrounds to worship Jesus. This year, we are fundraising for the additional costs of quality projection and a stage to enable everyone an equal opportunity for seeing the lyrics and musicians, and join together in singing praises to God. This is especially important for people who might not normally go to church.

Rev. David Wright, UniteBoston’s Board President, describes his experience at UniteBoston’s summer worship night, and how much he enjoys worshipping with “over one thousand other of my brothers and sisters from across the spectrum of Christianity, gathering from different colors, ethnicities, cultures, denominations backgrounds, and languages.  If it is remotely like last year, people will worship with abandon, dancing in praise, lifting their hands, and raising their voices. We’ll join in honoring our Father alongside brothers and sisters we’re meeting for the first time. And something else will happen. Other people will come. Not because of fancy lights; not because of a big screen. They won’t be drawn because of some multi-media spectacle with a huge stage. They’ve seen all that before. No, they’ll be drawn because they see what they’ve been looking for; the diverse Church acting as one Body. They’ll be drawn by Jesus’ Promise that when He is lifted up, He’ll draw all people to himself.”

Let’s come together to see the Church in all her glory and splendor and sing praises over our city!

RECRUITING FOR TOP TALENT TO JOIN OUR VOLUNTEER TEAMS

• Tech team: lighting manager, stage manager, slide presenter, monitor mixer, and sound runners
• Ministry team: Event Development, church connections, and prayer/outreach
• Painting team: Artist’s Row and Live Painting Backstage

Click on this link for specific information about the teams, and fill out the form below if you are interested in joining. 

The UB Celebration of Worship in the Boston Common is just a few weeks away! Join in this launch party to hear the vision, meet friends old and new, listen to great music, and take home postcards so you can spread the word to your church and community!

Please invite your friends – see you there!

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/403422460304024/

Revelation 7:9a

Yeah, we’re not quite there, yet.  But we are getting closer.  

I’ll be at the Unite Boston’s Celebration of Worship on August 17th at 7:00pm.  If it is anything like last year, so will over one thousand other of my brothers and sisters from across the spectrum of Christianity, gathering from different colors, ethnicities, cultures, denominations backgrounds, and languages.  If it is remotely like last year, people will worship with abandon, dancing in praise, lifting their hands, and raising their voices. We’ll join in honoring our Father alongside brothers and sisters we’re meeting for the first time.

And something else will happen.  Other people will come. Not because of fancy lights; not because of a big screen.  They won’t be drawn because of some multi-media spectacle with a huge stage. They’ve seen all that before.  No, they’ll be drawn because they see what they’ve been looking for; the diverse Church acting as one Body. They’ll be draw by Jesus’ Promise that when He is lifted up, He’ll draw all people to himself.

Yeah, I’ll be at the Unite Boston Celebration of Worship on the Boston Commons.  I hope to see YOU and your community there too. 

-Rev. David Wright, President of the Black Ministerial Alliance and Associate Minister at Peoples Baptist Church in Boston

“The worship night on the Boston Common is important for all the churches of Boston to get behind and back. As a spirit of discord and outrage swirls around us and seeks to suppress the gospel, an evening of united prayer and worship of our Lord Jesus Christ puts the Accuser on notice. As we cry out for spiritual revival over this great city, let’s gather together in the middle of this great city, and let a watching world see and know Him by our love. I hope the pastors of the city to come, invite your flock, and together reveal to Boston what God is doing in our hearts and wants to do in theirs.”

-Pastor Michael Balboni, Park Street Church

“The Boston Common is surrounded by churches:  Evangelical, Pentecostal, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Congregational…and a few more.  We all worship in our own styles and traditions on Sundays and times in between. And the Common itself is a place of worship, including the wonderful, faithful outreach of St. Paul’s to the Unhoused Community.  But one day a year, led by UniteBoston, many of us put aside some of our strongly held positions on some important issues, and remember that it is Jesus Christ who is the source of it all, for only in the Holy Spirit can one affirm, humbly, that Jesus is Lord.  I am eager as Director of the one Catholic representative on the Boston Common to endorse UniteBoston’s Celebration of Worship on August 17th, 2019. May we come out of our buildings, join other disciples of Jesus and warmly welcome one another as we give praise to our God.”

-Father Michael McGarry, Director of the Paulist Center

This week on UniteBoston, we have Sarah Lovinger and Christian Grant as our guest bloggers to share about Young Life Boston. Young Life Boston re-emerged after many years in the Fall of 2016 when a group of people got together and began to pray about the idea of bringing YL back to Boston. Ministry to kids began in the 2017-2018 school year and was volunteer lead. Sarah and Christian came on staff with Young Life in September 2018 and ministry continues to grow. Sarah is a member of Mosaic Boston Church in Brookline and is on Young Life staff in downtown Boston. Christian Grant is on staff with Young Life and the Boston Project in Dorchester. He is a member of Hilltop Church in Cambridge. 

It is 5:00AM on a Wednesday morning. A 16-year-old girl is frantically finishing her pre-calculus homework before rowing practice. A few miles away, a 14-year-old boy rushes out the door to catch the bus- starting his 90 minute commute out to the suburbs to the METCO school he attends. She, filled with anxiety; he, with an empty stomach. One, putting her hope in a future imposed on her by her parents and peers that will never fulfill. The other, struggling to find an ounce of hope, questioning his purpose in life. 

These two stories represent thousands of kids in the city of Boston. These are kids that desperately need hope outside of themselves and their circumstances; kids who need to hear about a Creator who loves them regardless of their performance and a Savior who will provide for their every need. These kids need to hear about the life and the freedom that is theirs in Jesus Christ. 

Every day, Young Life leaders work to do just that- introduce kids to the life-changing message found in Jesus Christ. We are ministering to kids from Dorchester to Beacon Hill, from East Boston to Brookline. We go where they are, earn their trust and the right to be heard, invite them into relationship with Jesus, and love them regardless of their response.

The mission of Young Life is to introduce kids to Jesus Christ and help them grow in their faith. The method by which we do this is something we call “The Six Cs”: contact work, club, campaigners, camp, committee, and church.

• Contact work: Young Life leaders show up in the lives of kids, rather than asking them to come to us. We go to school events, volunteer at Boys and Girls clubs, tutor, coach, you name it. If kids are there, Young Life leaders want to be there too.
• Club: Club is a party with a purpose— music, games, laughter, food, skits, and a message about the person of Jesus in terms that kids understand. 
• Campaigners: This is short for “campaigners for Christ.” Kids that have decided to follow Jesus or want to learn more about Him gather in small groups to dive deeper into Scripture and prayer.
• Camp: The best week of their lives. Seriously. Kids get to play, laugh, relax, eat great food, and hear about Jesus in terms that they can understand. The best part? Kids go to camp and come home from camp with leaders with whom they already have relationships.
• Committee: Committee is a local team of caring adults that offer guidance and support.
• Church: As kids begin following Jesus or express interest in faith, we want to get them connected to a local church. We know that faith takes root and flourishes in the church and we communicate and demonstrate the importance of being part of a local congregation. We serve a diverse group of kids in a city with diverse congregations that beautifully represent the Kingdom; we pray that more and more kids will pour into each and every one. 

Throughout the past year we have seen the Lord move in amazing ways in the lives of kids in Boston. Here are three stories. J became a follower of Jesus at camp just last week. J believed that there was a God but did not believe in Jesus. Being at camp allowed him to hear the message of the Gospel clearly for the first time and process through it with his leaders. By the end of the week J stood up and shared that he began a relationship with Jesus. P, a foreign exchange student from China, gave his life to Christ last fall. P said that he had heard the Gospel before but he actually saw it being lived out by his leaders and it became real to him for the first time. He is excited to return to China to tell people about Jesus. Last, at this time last year, C did not believe God could exist with all of the brokenness in the world. She had no interest in Jesus. Through Young Life, C found a safe place to ask her hardest questions and share her doubt in Campaigners. She now regularly meets with her leader to talk about how Jesus enters into and redeems the most broken parts of life. What a gift it has been to see the Lord advance His Kingdom in Boston through the lives of teens and we cannot wait for more! 

This summer we are taking kids from all over the city to camp to have the best week of their lives. Many kids cannot afford camp but have the opportunity to go because of scholarships generously donated by people that love Christ and love kids. There are a total of three camp trips this summer with around 40 kids registered, 40 kids that are going to hear every single day how much God loves them and see that love demonstrated by leaders and camp staff. We want to take more! Camp is $675 per kid. If you want to help us bring more kids to camp, you can make a camp scholarship donation here:  Select the “Camp” tab and select “Saranac” or “Lake Champion” under Camp Selection. 

If you want to learn more about Young Life, how to get involved or how you can support us, email Sarah Lovinger at selovinger@gmail.com.

This year’s theme for the upcoming UniteBoston Celebration of Worship, “Engage Boston,” encourages Christians in Boston to grow in their Christian faith together by celebrating their differences. It’s been truly inspiring to see the event directors develop the theme by sharing their diverse denominational and professional perspectives, to make the event a welcoming environment where people of all backgrounds may connect in meaningful ways. Meet the directors below and see what the theme of “Engage Boston” means to them! 

Name: Kelly Fassett

Position: UniteBoston Team Leader

Home Church: River of Life Church 

“To me, the word “engage” conveys a connection between people. There is a great need to engage Boston by breaking down walls between Christians of differing backgrounds and also engage relationally with onlookers who are attending the worship gathering. We must also be sensitive to the type of engagement we have–always invitational and authentic rather than forced or coercive. As Christians, we have so much in common, and I’ve seen that as we come together, more and more people recognize that the things that bind us together in Christ are stronger than anything dividing us.” 

Name: Chloe Gaydos

Position: Production Coordinator Director

Home Church: Reality Church

“I’m super excited to see the new aspects of worship we are bringing into the production this year, and to work alongside our institutional partners in the Metro Boston area. Engage Boston means that as a Christian, I have been called to step outside of my comfort zone to relate to other Christians from different backgrounds. If I prioritize those relationships, then I will be able to repaint a picture of what my non-Christian friends see as the role that faith plays in my life.”

Name: Kevin Martin:

Position: Sound and Technology Production Director 

Home Church: Revive Community Church

“I am excited to be part of something that helps God grow His Kingdom exponentially in the Metro Boston Area and beyond. I was invited to last year’s Celebration of Worship, and I fell in love seeing the concept of Christian Unity being played out before my eyes, which was precisely the type of environment I had been praying about. We have to understand the “stage” God has given us at our fingertips with this opportunity. Youth, top performers, many countries represented, we have the equation for a perfect storm! If I or we, are too caught up in ourselves or the talent and details, we miss an opportunity to be a witness to someone new about Jesus and God’s greater collective mission.”

Name: Bil Mooney-Mccoy:

Position: Music Production Director

Home Church: River of Life Church

“I am looking forward to getting to know and play with a great group of musicians. “Engage Boston” is a chance for the church of Boston to join together, celebrate Jesus’ love, and share the Gospel. Engaging in Christian unity reveals that Christ’s love transcends all the things that naturally separate us.” 

Name: Alana Mann

Position: Director of Marketing and Development 

Home Church: North Shore Community Baptist

“I am excited about creating a safe place for Christians to engage their community, which is what I believe is a large part of our goal with this Celebration of Worship. “Engage” to me can mean many things, but in this context it means to not remain stagnant in your walk with Christ. It is so easy to just coast through life, and choosing to engage can be one of the most difficult things for a person because it isn’t always easy. Yet leading an engaged life can bring friendship, unity, and ultimately joy to one’s life through choosing to stay engaged in your walk with Christ.”

Name: Jenna Higgins

Position:  UniteBoston Prayer Team Co-Leader

Home church: Netcast Church, First Presbyterian Church Danvers

“I am excited about bringing the transforming and healing love of Jesus to everyone we meet. Imagine what we could do when we join together in unity, the world will see the power and glory of Jesus shining through us.”  

Name: Carolina de Jesus

Position:  UniteBoston Prayer Team Co-Leader

Home church: International Family Church

“I’m excited to see the diversity of the body of Christ fully exemplified through this worship experience. When Christians are united, amazing things happen! God is not a boring God- so it’s exciting to see the wealth of gifts, talents and expressions of His love through all who will be there on August 17th!”