Community

Photos: Churchgoers from across L.I. gather in Mattituck

Crossing Jordan Worship Band of Heart of Worship Church in Lindenhurst performing Saturday afternoon. (Credit: Carrie Miller)
Crossing Jordan Worship Band of Heart of Worship Church in Lindenhurst performing Saturday afternoon. (Credit: Carrie Miller)

A bit of rain Saturday did not stop the celebration taking place at Strawberry Fields in Mattituck, where churchgoers from across Long Island gathered for the second annual Awakening.

Organized and hosted by multiple churches throughout the North Fork and several across the nation, the event is intended to bring believers together for a weekend of events celebrating Jesus Christ.

Monica Harbes, who helped organize the event, said that despite some of the hardships facing different churches, including financial straits and those seeing a decrease in membership, “the beauty of this event, is we are all united as one.”

Ms. Harbes, a member of Mattituck Presbyterian Church, said the weekend-long event is an opportunity to bring together the several hundred members of her own church and also welcome the hundreds of others from other congregations.

Saturday’s event featured a number of preachers, testimonials, and a performance by the Crossing Jordan Worship Band of Heart of Worship Church in Lindenhurst.

Event-goers had an opportunity to seek guidance and pray in a healing tent, while children made crafts such as super hero masks.

Participating churches included Mattituck Presbyterian Church, Community Christian Fellowship Church and Our Lady of Good Council of Mattituck, True Light Church of Cutchogue, Bridge for Peace of Wading River, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church of Aquebogue, Catch the Fire Church of North Carolina, Heart of Worship Church in Lindenhurst, Retrouvaille, a Christian peer ministry, and members of Christian Family Fellowship International.

Sunday’s events — which are free to the public — are scheduled as follows:

10 a.m. Welcome and open in prayer
10:30 a.m. JT Mlinarcik Executive Director of Catch the Fire USA
11 a.m. Pastor Duncan Smith of Catch the Fire Church
3 p.m. Closing prayer

See next page for photos of Saturday’s event: