MOORE—”It was more than a concert; it was a worship service,” said Randy Lind, BGCO worship/music ministries specialist, describing the “Night of Praise” on Fri, Aug. 15, that opened the Proclaim! weekend, Aug. 15-16, at Moore, First.

Travis Cottrell, two-time Dove Award winning artist, performed and led the audience in an evening of worship and praise. Known for being the worship leader for Beth Moore Living Proof conferences for 17 years, Cottrell has been the music minister at Jackson, Tenn., Engelwood since 2010.

The songs he sang covered a wide variety. Some he wrote, as well as well-known hymns and Contemporary Christian favorites, including the popular Imperials song Praise The Lord.

Many of the songs featured The Oklahoma Worship Choir, as Lind called them, which featured choir members from 11 churches including Ada, First; Enid, Emmanuel; Lawton, First; Lexington, First; Moore, First; Mustang, Chisholm Heights; Oklahoma City, Brookwood; Oklahoma City, Quail Springs; Oklahoma City, Southern Hills; Purcell, First and Shawnee, Immanuel.

“Travis has been influential as a writer with my choir, and I know he’s a great worship leader. I tried to get him at churches I served in the past, and it didn’t work out. But, now it worked out great, because we were able to put him in front of not only worship leaders, but also worshippers who are involved in worship ministry across the state. It was a great time,” Lind said.

Saturday’s event was for worship leaders and worship ministry members to have a more focused experience with Cottrell, allowing him to share about current issues and trends in church music ministry. Lind said Saturday’s schedule was designed for those involved in music ministry across the state to connect with each other.

“Travis shared his spiritual journey,” Lind said. “He opened up for Q&A as far as what he faces in his church on a weekly basis, which is what any church ministry faces. This is what (music ministers) wanted to hear.”

Lind said both Friday’s and Saturday’s events combined drew more than 500 people.

“Travis Cottrell is an anointed worship leader, writer and incredible singer who understands the role of music in the church,” said Dave Watson, worship pastor at Newcastle, First. “Thanks, Randy Lind, for bringing guest artists like Travis to Oklahoma to encourage and inspire us!”