One Hope Worship and Community Gathering4 min read

On Sunday, July 21, six churches got together to hold a Circuit Convocation in Macomb County. A convocation is a larger gathering of members from circuit congregations during a year in which there is no national or district convention of the LCMS.

The One Hope Worship & Community Gathering took place at Knights Park and Pavilion in Shelby Twp. There were 2,185 people in attendance. The churches represented there were Shepherds Gate, Shelby Twp.; Trinity, Utica; Immanuel, Macomb; Peace, Shelby Twp.; Our Redeemer, Washington; and Grace Lutheran Fellowship, Romeo.

There were approximately 140 volunteers. Jim Jensen, Executive Director at Shepherd’s Gate Church, was helping to organize them all: “We have a parking team, food team, usher team, safety team, kids’ activity team, and of course the worship team, so lots of moving parts here to make this work.”

Attendees were greeted at the entrance of the park with smiles and signs. The parking team directed traffic and ushers greeted everyone and distributed bulletins. As people settled down in their chairs and/or blankets, music was playing. There was a first aid tent manned by Trinity, Utica, and the Wave Project bus was there so people could get to know their ministry of providing showers and hygiene supplies to homeless people. Attendees were encouraged to donate to support this ministry.

Jan Long, Guest Services Team Leader from Shepherd’s Gate, was very excited to be at the event: “This is amazing. God has blessed us with amazing weather and a beautiful park with pavilion. The worship team is amazing, the kitchen team is hard at work getting things set up for lunch afterwards, and then we have kids’ activities with bounce houses. It’s going to be a great fun day!”

Marceles Moore from Shepherd’s Gate said, “It’s an amazing experience to be able to see all these churches grouped together for one big event. It’s absolutely amazing to see and I hope that more come along the way.”

After the event, people enjoyed a picnic lunch and fellowship, while kids played in several inflatable structures.

The response to the event has been nothing short of enthusiastic. Even the neighbors appreciated it. One child brought up a thank you note to one of the volunteers (see photo). Joyce Ellies commented on Facebook: “It was a beautiful day and a beautiful event. Hope it becomes an annual one! There were so many posts about it on Facebook. People saying it was better waking up to Christian music than to dogs barking or lawn services. No complaints, just compliments!”

Rev. Tim Bollinger, pastor of Shepherd’s Gate, Shelby Twp. summarizes: “It was incredible to see six LCMS churches from Macomb County come together for one combined outdoor worship service in the park. Close to 2,200 people gathered to sing, pray, hear a message, and enjoy time together after the service with food and activities. We are grateful to the Michigan District and Church Extension Fund for providing the Circuit Convocation Grant for us to make this a memorable day. There are already talks of how we can continue bringing our churches together to share Jesus in our communities.”

Rev. Justin Krupsky, pastor of Trinity, Utica, reflects: “The ONE HOPE worship service sponsored by Church Extension Fund and the Michigan District—what a blessing! We had three large churches say yes to committing to this and there are three other churches that came, but this is only the beginning in the partnering to have unity together. God is up to something different and so we’re ready for it and we’re priming the Macomb county to continue to work together more than we have ever worked in the past, so this is good.”

In 2024, Michigan District circuits were encouraged to hold convocations. Grants are available to all circuits. To learn more and apply for a grant, click here.

_{Featured image photos by Lisa Jansen/Shepherd’s Gate Church (1) and Elisa Schulz/Michigan District, LCMS (2 & 3)}

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