Church musicians from across the city will raise their voices in song Sunday to support Lawrence Habitat for Humanity’s ongoing mission of building affordable homes.

Soloists and choirs representing 13 Lawrence congregations, plus the Lawrence Community Mass Choir and the Lawrence Men’s Chorale, will gather to perform sacred music — classical, contemporary and gospel — at the fifth annual Habitat MusicFest at 7 p.m. Sunday at First Presbyterian Church, 2415 Clinton Parkway.

A children’s choir and a composition by Daniel Chisham, a former Lawrence resident and composer, are new to the program.

MusicFest is produced by the 16 Lawrence-area Covenant Churches of Lawrence Habitat for Humanity, 840-B Conn., as an opportunity for sampling a wide variety of sacred music. Twelve of those congregations are sending musicians to participate in the event. (A 13th congregation taking part Sunday, Church of God, 851 Elm St., is not a Covenant Church.)

The gathering also celebrates the combined ministry of the churches, who have committed to providing the resources and labor to create adequate housing for area families.

Admission is free and open to the public. An offering will be taken for the “Building on Faith 2005” project, a Habitat home to be built with a family in need by the Covenant Churches in the fall.

Last year’s Habitat MusicFest raised $3,500, according to Kenneth Ratzlaff, chair of church relations for Lawrence Habitat.

“It was very successful last year, in spite of heavy snow and ice that weekend. We had an attendance in excess of 400 people,” he said.

“The biggest thing is that it brings together the churches that are part of Habitat in one celebration. It’s also an opportunity for people to hear sacred music from churches other than their own.”

The music committee, led by the Rev. Sandra Walton, associate pastor of First Baptist Church, 1330 Kasold Drive, has assembled a program that will showcase chancel choirs, community ensembles, instrumentalists and vocal soloists.

The event’s highlight is the presentation of an anthem by the combined choirs. Composed by Chisham, the anthem has been performed once. In the fall of 2004, he exported Habitat MusicFest from Lawrence to his new home in Oklahoma.

Event organizers haven’t set a specific financial goal for the evening.

“If we do about the same as last year, or a little more, that will be fine. But our biggest goal is to bring people together to celebrate,” Ratzlaff said.