Community worship comes Nov. 21 to Sutton Park in Palmetto
PALMETTO -- A community worship event has been a passion of Mario Vitali's for a long time but the demand of being in the circus had put his vision on hold in the past.
The Manatee County resident's vision will become a reality from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, when at least six local churches come together in Palmetto's Sutton Park to share in song and worship God. The first free community worship event will be at 1050 Sixth St. W., Palmetto.
"I've been wanting to do it for a long, long time," said Vitali, a member of Cole Bros. Circus. "It will be a day of rejoicing in the Lord and hear some good music from different churches. ... It's like a dream come true."
The churches will bring worship teams to perform Christian music, Vitali said. There will also be a prayer tent, children events, vendors and face painters.
The event is presented by the Christian Business Networkers and Palmetto Build. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets.
Vitali said they contacted area churches and they "jumped on it."
"This is another opportunity for the churches to work together in the community," he said. "When you work together as a team, you reach more people."
The churches involved include Christian Retreat, El Crucerio, Kingdom Life Christian of Bradenton, Grace Community, Skyway Community Chapel and Church of Hope in Palmetto.
Kingdom Life Christian Church Pastor Don Sturiano said the church does a lot in the community so "this is a wonderful marriage for us."
"What can we do to bring the message of the Kingdom of God outside the four walls?" Sturiano asked. "Music is one of the great common denominators. It's just the heart of who we are. We love to do things outside the four walls and out in the community."
Sturiano said people can come to the park and enjoy excellent Christian music.
"Whenever we can show acts of unity to do things like this, it strengthens our own churches," Sturiano said, adding his church is having a live recording event open to the public at 6 p.m. Saturday at the church, 825 Ninth St. W., Bradenton.
There is still room for more churches to join the Sutton Park event, Vitali said. Contact Vitali at 941-685-4001 or email bookings@circuscitypromotions.com.
"We are planning to do more in the future," Vitali said.
Claire Aronson, Manatee County reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7024. Follow her on Twitter@Claire_Aronson.
This story was originally published November 13, 2015 at 5:05 PM with the headline "Community worship comes Nov. 21 to Sutton Park in Palmetto ."