The Fourth of July is a time for celebrating America, and in and around The Villages, local churches are marking Independence Day with concerts, picnics and community fellowship.
St. Timothy Roman Catholic Church in The Villages hosts its annual “Spirit of America: Triumph of the American Spirit” concert at 4 and 7 p.m. Wednesday at the church. The church’s music director, Bill Doherty, plans to lead a patriotic show featuring appearances by The Villages Twirlers and Drum Corps, as well as members of the Central Florida Lyric Opera.
“The show will include a special musical dedication to the men and women who have served or are serving in our armed forces,” Doherty said. “This is as American as it gets, with all the bells and whistles to make hearts pound and flags wave.”
Tickets for “Spirit of America” are $20 each and can be purchased from 9 a.m. to noon weekdays at St. Timothy Roman Catholic, 1351 Paige Place, The Villages.
But before that celebration, New Covenant United Methodist Church presents “Celebrate America 2024” at 3 p.m. Sunday. The show, hosted by Angie Rose and Sean Pollock, features patriotic anthems, an assortment of American pop and folk tunes and soaring marches.
“Admission is free with a suggested $20 donation at the door,” said Janine Rogers, missions and outreach director for New Covenant UMC. “All proceeds go to our Backpacks4Kids program, which benefits students attending public schools in Wildwood. This includes Wildwood Elementary, Wildwood Intermediate and Wildwood Middle High School.”
Learn more at ncumcfl.com/tickets. The church is at 3470 Woodridge Drive in The Villages, behind Publix.
Following those two events, New Life Christian Church in Wildwood hosts the Liberty Voices and the Humdingers for a patriotic show at 6:30 p.m. July 5. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased during Sunday worship at 4701 E. County Road 462 in Wildwood.
“The members of Liberty Voices have been a part of Disney World entertainment for years and are an incredibly talented a cappella group,” said Mike Thomas, worship minister at New Life Christian. “Tickets will be sold at the door the night of the show if the concert is not sold out ahead of time.”
Community United Methodist Church is holding “The Great American Melting Pot: A Patriotic Music Ministry” at 3 p.m. July 7 at 309 College Ave. in Fruitland Park, just off County Road 466A. Learn more by visiting communityumc.church.
Family trio Psalm 101 will perform a free concert during the 11 a.m. worship Sunday at Wells of Salvation, 152 S. Commercial St. in Coleman.
There also are patriotic events coming up that don’t involve full concerts. Oxford Assembly of God holds its annual “God and Country Picnic” following the 10 a.m. worship on Sunday.
“This is a picnic lunch with hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans and corn on the cob,” said Lead Pastor Derrel Strickland of Oxford AOG. “There also will be water games and inflatables for the kids.”
Oxford Assembly of God is at 12114 N. U.S. Highway 301 in Oxford, near the County Road 466 intersection.
Trinity Lutheran Church will hold a “Christian Freedom Celebration Service” at 10 a.m. Sunday, followed by an indoor picnic and fellowship. There will be just one worship service that day. The church is at 17330 S. U.S. Highway 441 in Summerfield. Learn more at trinitysummerfield.com.
Living Grace Church also plans an Independence Day-themed “Celebration Service” at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at 1711 Citrus Blvd. in Leesburg, in front of Rural King. Water baptisms and a special “Dinner After Church” will take place after the service. Learn more at mylivinggracechurch.org.
And to wrap it all up, one local church is turning America’s birthday into a special vacation Bible school. Trinity Baptist Church will hold God Bless America VBS from 6 to 8 p.m. from Monday to Wednesday.
“This VBS is open to children 4 years of age and older,” said Pastor Mark Reichard of Trinity Baptist. “If there are adults interested in doing their own VBS at the same time, we’ll open up a classroom or two for them as well.”
Trinity Baptist is 3027 N. U.S. Highway 301 in Wildwood, near the Warm Springs Avenue intersection. Learn more about VBS at tbcwildwood.com.
Senior writer James Dinan can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5302, or [email protected].