By By Ida Brown / religion editor
Sept. 7, 2002
As people nationwide prepare to attend special remembrance church services for the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, several Meridian churches will jointly present their own service.
On Wednesday, a "See You At the Pole Citywide Rally" is set for 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at Meridian High School's Ray Stadium. In addition to coming together for a time of remembrance, the goal is to bring the community together spiritually.
Guest speaker will be the Rev. Stacy Spencer of Memphis, Tenn. The format also will include music presentations by Young People of Praise and the Meridian Community College Gospel Choir.
About 2,000 people are expected to attend the service, which will be held on the stadium's west side. Sullivan said organizers hope to surpass that number.
Sullivan said the remembrance service will be the first of many such citywide religious gatherings.
For more information about the service, contact Sullivan at Calvary Baptist Church, Chad Polk at Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church or Michael Jones at Highland Baptist Church.
NorthPark Church
One of the most anticipated Sept. 11 remembrance church services is being coordinated nationwide by the Mission America Coalition.
Coalition partners are helping draw these churches together and provide resources so churches will be prepared to "invite, greet and engage" those attending with the relevant word of God.
Locally, the service will be at NorthPark Church, located at 7770 Highway 39 North, across from Northeast Middle School. The service will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Following last year's tragedy, many churches didn't have time to prepare for the influx of visitors in worship seeking refuge, hope and answers to the tragedy.
While church attendance spiked in the immediate days and weeks following the tragedy, statistics show that church attendance and more importantly the spiritual focus of those people changed very little.
The Rev. Glen Barth, a national facilitator of city and community ministries for Mission America, said in time of crisis, there are some things only the church can provide.
The Rev. Jarvis Ward, also a national facilitator of city and community ministries for the coalition, said the remembrance church services are a good outreach opportunity for Christians.
The Rev. Dr. Larry Lewis, national facilitator of denominational ministries for Mission America, added that "every church in American should plan a meaningful memorial service on Sept. 11. The daily news brings a message of fear and despair, but the Gospel brings a message of faith and hope."