Myrtle Baptist Church Community Worship & Arts Workshop

Name: Myrtle Baptist Church Community Worship & Arts Workshop
Start: 2026-10-23T17:30:00-04:00
Location: 21 Curve St

Schedule

Fri, 23 Oct, 2026 at 05:30 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

21 Curve St | Newton, MA

Come worship, create, and connect! Join us for a powerful community experience celebrating faith through worship and the arts.
About this Event

Community Worship & Arts Workshop

Historic Myrtle Baptist Church — Center for Worship and Arts

October 23rd–24th, 2026

The Community Worship & Arts Workshop brings together experienced worship leaders, musicians, vocalists, and ministry artists who are passionate about helping individuals and churches grow in their worship and music ministries.

What to Expect

Friday Evening kicks off with registration and hospitality, followed by an opening session on the workshop's vision. Participants will dive into praise and worship foundations, choir etiquette, and begin learning music selections together in preparation for Saturday.

Saturday is a full day of hands-on learning and rehearsal. Participants will work within their tracks — choir ministry, praise and worship, or the youth worship arts track — building on the songs and skills introduced Friday night. The afternoon moves into combined rehearsals with the full workshop choir, praise team, youth, and musicians, bringing every track together for one unified sound.

The weekend culminates Saturday evening in the Community Music & Worship Arts Concert, a live performance featuring everything participants have learned and rehearsed all weekend, opened by Angie Perry and featuring special guests Living Water. It's the moment where all the training comes together — participants don't just learn, they minister.

Workshop Tracks

Participants will have opportunities to learn and grow through three primary areas:

Praise & Worship Leadership

Children's Music & Instrument Development

Choir Ministry & Vocal Excellence

Meet the Workshop Leaders

Dr. Gary Lyon

Musician • Singer • Worship Leader • Founder of Living Water

Dr. Gary Lyon is a gifted musician, singer, worship leader, and the founder of Living Water, a Boston-based gospel ensemble established in 2006. His musical journey has included both performance and ministry, with a passion for using music to encourage, inspire, and lead others into worship.

A native of North Carolina, Dr. Lyon has built a respected presence in the gospel music community through his work as a vocalist, musical director, and recording artist. Under his direction, Living Water has performed throughout New England in churches, conferences, community events, schools, and major cultural gatherings, and the group has released multiple recording projects, including That Praise.

Dr. Lyon brings a unique perspective to this workshop — the heart of a worshipper, the ear of a musician, and the experience of someone who has spent years developing people and building ministry through music.

Workshop Focus: Worship leadership, vocal development, musical ministry, and preparing worship teams to minister with both excellence and purpose.

Dennis Montgomery

Music Professor • Pianist • Organist • Gospel Music Educator

If you want to learn gospel music from someone who has spent decades living it, teaching it, and helping shape the next generation of musicians, Dennis Montgomery is that person.

Professor Montgomery is a longtime music school faculty member and director of the school's gospel ensemble. He began playing the Hammond B3 organ in Baptist churches as a child and was performing alongside his father by the age of nine, before later attending Berklee, where he studied music education and became deeply involved in the development of gospel music within the college's curriculum.

For decades, Montgomery has taught gospel, R&B, keyboard techniques, ensemble performance, and vocal ensembles at Berklee. His students and ensemble members have gone on to significant careers in music, including artists such as Lalah Hathaway, Paula Cole, and Susan Tedeschi.

He has also performed with and worked alongside major gospel artists and musicians, including Shirley Caesar, James Cleveland, Bobby Jones, and John P. Kee.

Workshop Focus: Gospel music, choir ministry, musicianship, vocal excellence, musical leadership, and understanding the musical foundation behind the sound of gospel.

This is an opportunity to learn from a musician whose classroom extends from the church pew to one of the world's premier contemporary music institutions.

Chris Bender

Recording Artist • Worship Leader • Gospel Music Minister

Born in Stoughton, Massachusetts and raised in Brockton by his mother, Chris Bender grew up in a loving, God-fearing home where he watched his family serve in ministry. That foundation took root early — at seven, he made a personal decision to follow Christ, and by thirteen he sensed a clear calling to minister through worship, a calling that has shaped his path ever since.

That calling has taken Chris across the gospel music world, where he's had the privilege of ministering alongside artists such as Shirley Caesar, Donnie McClurkin, JJ Hairston, Fred Hammond, and Israel Houghton, among others. As a recording artist, he released his debut single "More of You," which earned him the 2014 Angelic Award for Artist of the Year, followed by his 2019 single "The Blood Song," which debuted at #22 on the Billboard charts and won an Eddy Award for Best New Single.

At the heart of Chris's ministry is a desire to see believers instructed in the essence of true, vertical worship — leading others beyond performance and into the presence of God.

Workshop Focus: Worship arts, vocal ministry, and musical development, with an emphasis on leading worship that points participants toward genuine encounter with God.

Living Water

As the weekend builds toward its grand finale, we're honored to welcome our featured musical guests, Living Water, who will join us for the culminating Community Music & Worship Arts Concert. Since 2006, this Boston-based gospel ensemble has ministered throughout New England in churches, conferences, and community gatherings, sharing a sound rooted in praise and authentic worship. Their presence will help bring the weekend full circle, closing out two days of learning and growth with a celebration of worship, music, and community.

Vaughn Brathwaite – Minister of Music

Rounding out our leadership team is Vaughn Brathwaite, Minister of Music at Historic Myrtle Baptist Church. Vaughn brings leadership and experience in developing musical excellence and strengthening the role of music within the church, with a heart for equipping choirs and musicians to serve with skill and sincerity. His guidance throughout the weekend will help ensure that every workshop track connects back to the church's broader music ministry.

Dr. Brandon Crowley – Senior Pastor

None of this would be possible without the vision and covering of our Senior Pastor, Dr. Brandon Crowley. Dr. Crowley provides spiritual leadership for Historic Myrtle Baptist Church and helps establish the vision for a ministry-centered experience that connects worship, creativity, and community. Under his leadership, the church has continued to grow as a place where faith and the arts come together to serve the wider community.

Workshop Schedule

Friday