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Mission team from FBCPC with their host at the Gallery Church. Left to Right: Jack Smith, Daralene Pondo, John Zavodny, Jay Ballard, Angie Zavodny, Jessica McMichen, Pete Bataglia, Linda McDonald, Kathy Horne, Betty Hall, and Lynne Despain.
FLORIDA BAPTIST WORSHIP CHOIR ENJOYS MISSION WORK IN NYC
BY CHERYL JOHNSTON PHOTOS COURTESY OF FLORIDA BAPTIST CONVENTION
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ine choir and orchestra members from Plant City’s First Baptist Church experienced an exhilarating faith-filled trip to the world’s fifth largest city this summer. Plans began about two years ago when Pete Battaglia, PCFBC Minister of Worship, had a discussion with Terry Williams, the Director of Music and Worship Ministries for the Florida Baptist Convention since 2002. Williams described his dream of taking the Florida Worship Choir and Orchestra to New York City to minister. The choir’s total membership of 600 includes worship pastors, senior pastors, choir/orchestra and praise team/praise band members from more than 300 Florida Baptist churches. This team has recorded and produced three choir/orchestra worship collections published by Prism Music and arranged by Mark Bovee: God of
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the Ages, Great I AM, and Almighty God. In late May-early June, Battaglia and a PCFBC group of eight others, traveled to the Big Apple along with Bovee and area musicians from First Baptists of Dover, Brandon, Leesburg, Ocala and Tampa’s Idlewild Church. In the treasured venues of Central Park’s Naumburg Bandshell, Brooklyn Tabernacle and Carnegie Hall, 264-voices and 45 instrumentalists of the FWC performed, and also staged an afternoon flash mob in Times Square near the spot where the countdown ball drops on New Year’s Eve. Needless to say, it was a busy trip, but definitely time well spent. To coordinate the travel details and mission work schedule, Battaglia had worked closely also with Phil Barfoot, CEO and President of CCT Music & Celebration Concert Tours International. Battaglia and
Jay Ballard, Director of Technical Ministries for PCFBC, arrived in New York a day early to do preliminary promotional work. In addition to those gentlemen, the PCFBC mission team included Lynne Despain, Betty Hall, Kathy Horner, Linda McDonald, Jessica McMichen, Daralene Pondo, Angie Zavodny and John Zavodny. When the Florida musicians arrived in NYC on Friday, May 30, they headed for Central Park’s Naumburg Bandshell where the choir/orchestra performed an evening concert for locals and for tourists from around the world. On Sunday, team members split into groups to visit 16 North America Mission Board “SEND” church plants throughout the city and in New Jersey. They helped lead worship, offered assistance and provided musical instruments and sound equipment needed by each congregation. NAMB church planter Patrick Thompson and his family, from Georgia, were grateful for the Floridians’ assistance to their newest work, New City Church in Long Island. Led by worship pastor David Shenning of First Baptist Brandon, a 30-plus member team from the Florida mass choir prayerwalked the area surrounding the church and
presented a concert on the oval at Hunters Point Park. As the residents enjoyed the music, Thompson and New City members distributed cards inviting their neighbors to church. The Florida team also donated to New City Church acoustic and electric guitars, a bass, a portable sound system, music stands and keyboard, which were provided mostly by Plant City’s First Baptist Church. As the choir’s voices sang “Open Up the Heavens” in Times Square on Sunday, June 1, an estimated 50,000 people heard the music and engaged with the Floridians in spiritual conversations. Many accepted tickets to the next evening’s performance at Carnegie Hall, which was attended by approximately 2,500. Ballard believes the FBWC group may have been the first ever to perform during the weekly Tuesday night prayer gathering at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, which is typically attended by 4,000 to 5,000 people. There they performed 14 songs from the choir’s CD “Almighty God.” Member after member related special spiritual moments during the trip when the sensed God’s presence in a powerful way. As a result, they returned to their Florida home churches with a desire to do even more for Him in the future.
The Florida Baptist Worship Choir and Orchestra performed for the thousands attending a Tuesday evening prayer service at the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York