He said everybody’s coming together under the banner of worship, and that has been an easy way to unite people.
The next “Hamilton Community Worship Circle” will be at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Court Street Worship Center at 23 Court St. (at the corner of Monument Avenue and Court Street, directly across from the Fitton Center) in Hamilton. This will be the fourth event that the group has hosted. Next month, the event will be at 6 p.m. March 13. (The event is typically on the second or third Sunday evening of each month.)
A handful of worship leaders from surrounding churches, including Provart, will lead the event. Everyone is invited to attend. The event has attracted 50-60 people from several different churches, including The Presbyterian Church of Hamilton, First Baptist Church of Hamilton, St. Paul’s Miracle Center and The Sanctuary Covenant Christian Fellowship, among others.
“I found that as I spoke with other ministers and members of different churches, locally, that there was this silo effect taking place within the broader church community…Everybody was shepherding their people into their own building, and I thought, ‘Man, we really need to do something that’s connected,’ and we need to do some things that reach out and connect, while still respecting each other’s church. So, this kind of idea started to germinate,” Provart said.
Then, the idea came to life to gather musicians from different churches and invite them to ask members from their own congregations to come in and lead a community worship event that the whole community can have ownership of, and no one church can stamp their label on it. It’s for the entire Hamilton Community, he said.
“The group of musicians that ended up being available, inspired and called to do it were all from different churches throughout the community. So, instantly, there was enough interest from the various churches, and from the on-set, we had a mixed group of people show up to worship, and that’s all it is – is worship,” Provart said.
He said the beautiful thing about the Court Street sanctuary is that there are no pews, only chairs, so they clear the whole room out, open up the floor, and put the band down on the floor instead of up on a stage.
“So, we can really make it an integrated, interactive time of worship. You’re right there with all the people and the people that come become the singers. They are the choir. They are the voice,” Provart said.
Attendees can expect an evening of worship that’s highlighted by contemporary Christian songs like “Revelation Song” by Kari Jobe; “Heart of Worship” by Brandon Lake; “So I Will (100 Billion X)” by Hillsong Worship and “King of My Heart” by Steffany Gretzinger and Jeremy Riddle, to name a few. There are also several other popular worship songs, featuring arrangements by Provart, including “Amen” and “My Jesus in D reh.” The worship will last about an hour with no sermon.
“It’s really just an opportunity for people who are churched, un-churched, or part of a church, or not part of a church to come in and let the Spirit move you and to immerse yourself in music. Hopefully, we create a space where God can find a way into people’s hearts and have it become a meaningful worship experience,” he said.
Provart said he is seeing relationships formed and conversations taking place that don’t happen anywhere else.
Provart has served as the director of praise, youth and young adult ministries at The Presbyterian Church of Hamilton since the late spring of 2019. He and his wife, Kelli and their children moved back to the area in 2015 after a two-decade stint working in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Kelli (Thacker) is a 1991 graduate of Hamilton High School.
“As praise director, one of the things you get charged with is how do we continue to grow the church itself, and obviously, the larger picture is to grow the kingdom, and for me, coming from an entertainment background, it was ‘let’s do a service that’s really inviting.’ That’s the kind of service that I would want to attend,” Provart said.
In addition, The Presbyterian Church of Hamilton hosts a contemporary service at the Court Street Worship Center at 11 a.m. Sundays. A traditional service is held at the 23 S. Front St. location on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. The Rev. Dr. John Lewis serves as the pastor. Go to thepresby.org for more details.
HOW TO GO
WHAT: Hamilton Community Worship Circle
WHEN: 6 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: Court Street Worship Center at 23 Court St. (at the corner of Monument Avenue and Court Street, directly across from the Fitton Center) in Hamilton
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