Continuing our service projects from the previous day, we spent Wednesday morning sweeping out dusty cabins, beating out mattresses, and insulating screen windows with sheets of plastic covering to prepare Victory Mountain Camp for a girls' retreat that will take place in two weeks (please keep the girls who will be attending in your prayers!) We kept our spirits up in the gently warming forest clearing by intermingling cheerful conversation with practical requests and punctuating broom strokes with snippets of song, forming a sweet symphony of the fellowship we share on so many levels, from spiritual to musical to relational to practical.
After lunch, we sang for a crowd of elementary and middle school students at Redeemer School in Salem. Ms. Tanya's experience as a kindergarten teacher specially equips her to minister to such groups of children. She had them participate in vocal warm-ups alongside us in addition to our standard tour repertoire, gently explaining the significance of our music both in the physical quality of our voices and the spiritual power of our message as she led them to participate in worship with us.
Wednesday evening, we joined Ignited Youth Ministry at Cath the Fire Raleigh, where Ms. Tanya's daughter and faithful GC assistant director Tiffany Egler is a leader, for their combined middle school and high school meeting. This was the first chance our step team had an opportunity to perform. Both Monday and Tuesday nights, Uncle Jeff had spent time training around twenty of us choir members in step ministry, which combines rhythms of spoken scriptures with foot stomping, clapping, and various actions and hand motions to communicate our message. Although there are several active veterans of step team, many of us (including me!) had never stepped before, and the times of Uncle Jeff's intensity, discipline, and enthusiasm whipped us into shape to be prepared to perform on Wednesday. I was nervous beforehand, as the movements of each member of the team must be extremely coordinated and precise. But by God's grace, I experienced a calm during our performance, in awe of the power of God's Word as absolute authority as we quoted from it directly Isaiah 40:31 and 2 Chronicles 7:14. Through our execution was not perfectly flawless, God's promises of faithfulness to those who seek Him are, and I pray that this is what our audience remembers.
Before our music that night, we also had a chance to participate in the youth group's opening game time. Intermingling with the students, a crowd similar in number to our own group, we formed two teams and enjoyed a friendly but enthusiastic competition in charades, where one representative on stage guessed the word his/her teammates were acting out. The fellowship between our group and theirs continued as conversation and laughter transitioned into our worship time, where they added their style of waving banners while joining in our own clapping and choreography. Throughout the night, the enthusiasm, openness, reverence, and wonder displayed by all present, including choir members, youth group attendees, and visitors, united in one sacrifice of praise to our Creator and King. Ultimately, we weren't singing for them, they didn't buy pizza for us, and I'm not writing this blog post for you, dear reader. God alone is our audience, our judge, our support, and our reward.
--Nina
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Day 4 (Tuesday): I Just Want to Be in Your Service
Day 4 (Tuesday): I Just Want to Be in Your Service
As a member of Tuesday’s breakfast crew, I reported to the kitchen at 7 a.m. with several other still drowsy choir members to help scramble eggs, cook bacon, make a pot of grits, mix pancake batter, and boil sweet tea as the sun slowly rose behind the misty trees outside. To their credit, the breakfast crews for days 5 and 6 started work at 6 and 5:15 respectively, so my group couldn’t complain about an early awakening. Every morning, however, Dennis, one of our faithful hosts at Victory Mountain Camp, cheerfully greeted the choir with a humble smile to direct us in a soft Southern accent through the kitchen’s maze of extra-large pans, ovens, and spoons. His love for Christ spills over to the whole choir in many practical ways, and we thank him for his hard work, encouraging words, and kind spirit present with us throughout the week.
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| Choir members with North Raleigh Christian Academy students after our concert |
In appreciation of Victory Mountain Camp providing housing for us, we’ve been helping get the grounds ready for this season’s campers. On Tuesday, this included up an outdoor sheltered stage and worship area. Some used leaf blowers, some swept or mopped, and a few adventurous people learned to control an unwieldy buffer machine to clean the floor. Many of us carried boards up the hill to put up in the barn loft, which had the benefit of visiting its inhabitants including rabbits, goats, chickens, and pigs. Satisfyingly tired from a day of singing and physical labor, we built a campfire on the lakeshore that evening for a refreshing time of s’mores, music, and laughter before settling in for the night.
We praise God for the sweet fellowship we experience through His name, whether within our own group, with our hosts, or with the people we sing for. Even if the results are not always immediately visible, it gives me joy to play a part as God builds together His church to declare His praise.--Nina
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Day 3 (Monday): They That Wait Upon the Lord Shall Renew Their Strength
DAY 3 (Monday): They That Wait Upon the Lord Shall Renew Their Strength
Only 3 days in and the need for rest is REAL. Our first full concert (which Nina detailed in the last post), though an amazing 2.5 hrs of worship, left our voices wanting some serious down time. So by 9:30 on Monday morning we were all gathered in the hotel lobby preparing for a day of refreshment out on Wilmington beach. The weather wasn’t ideal for sunbathing or swimming in the waves (some gov’t posted signs even indicated a $250 fine for unauthorized swimming), but the view was like none other.
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| Sam Kim ('17) walks towards the water to give it a try |
Against the pewter clouds the ocean danced up in frigid green waves. Sea gulls flocked around, avoiding us save for when they noticed that one of our tenors, Keith, had some left over buffalo wings with him. The wind made it a bit chilly, but we were all just happy to have sand beneath our feet and to see water that wasn’t frozen for a change. I walked down the beach a little ways, marvelling at all the different ways that God reveals himself through his creation. It was so nice to be able to finally just relax and reflect on his great works!
At 1:00p, after an hour and a half of beach-time, Rev. Davis from Warner Temple took us on a brief tour of historic Wilmington. During the late 1800s, the African-American population here suffered a lot of oppression from white Americans, she said. What she said after this was especially powerful: “Even though it’s difficult to talk about [past oppression], it’s a necessary conversation.” It’s a conversation that leads to the reconciliation that God desires of all his people—to forgive each other, to understand each other, and to love each other as God has with us. I feel like this conversation is especially important in the Wheaton College Gospel Choir. We’re all friends, but we’re also a very diverse group of people, representing differences in race, ethnicity, nationality, religious belief, political leaning…. What I find most striking though is that we’re still able to come together as human beings, as members of this choir, as believers in Christ, acknowledging that through our differences, we worship the same God.
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| Reading about the paddle monument in historic Wilmington |
Before we left Wilmington, there was still plenty of time to goof around. Model shots on old courthouse stairs, face-sized sandwiches, Spanish moss—what more could you want from a day in the South? At 3:00p, we loaded up the bus yet again and shipped off down to Raleigh, to leave the beach and arrive in the low hills of the Appalachian mountains at Victory Mtn. Camp where we’ll be staying in cabins for the next 4 days, sleeping to the sounds of a quite different choir—frogs and crickets and wind in the trees. — Connor
Day 2 (Sunday): Glory, Glory, Hallelujah
Upon arrival at Warner Temple AME Zion, where we would be having a concert the following afternoon, we had our first rehearsal with Uncle Jeff. Like a commander over his troops, he kindled into flame our enthusiasm and channeled our energy and focus into singing with authority and unity. “God is your audience,” he reminded us, “they’re just fellow participants,” as he waved over the empty pews that next day would be filled with worshipers. With the time zone change and springing the clocks ahead, we lost two hours that day, but no time was lost in light of the eternity we have to praise a God who reigns forever.
DAY 2 (Sunday): Glory, Glory, Hallelujah
We settled into the hotel for the night and woke up to join a morning service at Freedom’s Way Ministries. It was an honor to worship alongside not only their own congregation and talented musicians but also a gospel choir from another college also on their spring break tour. In a spirit of faith, thankfulness, and total dependence on God, we took time during the service to lift up Pastor Calvin and cry out to God for his need for physical healing, confident that He hears us in His goodness. As individuals, a choir, and the universal body of Christ, we are a living sacrifice of the service of worship, and we would do well to follow Pastor Cal’s example of surrendering to God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will (Romans 12:1-2). The people at Freedom’s Way welcomed us and fed us a wonderful meal before we headed back to Warner Temple.
The afternoon concert began with Warner Temple’s own gospel choir, whose black and red color scheme coordinated with ours (unplanned by humans but known in advance by God :). Their choir and ours ministered to each other arrangements of Psalm 23, different but both powerful. We ended after two hours of musical worship with an integration of the two choirs proclaiming that “every praise is to our God.” After another wonderful meal provided by the church, we left for the hotel to begin twenty-four hours of free rest time, which we planned to spend in fellowship with one another, exploring the beach, visiting historic sites and memorials in Wilmington, and resting to start up rehearsing and singing again. — Nina
GC Tour 2015 Kickoff!
It’s been a crazy few days, but GC Tour 2015 has officially begun! Connor Brown and Nina Camillone will be giving all of our followers a daily update (or as daily as possible, since a stable Internet connection is getting pretty hard to come by) of our tour through North Carolina while we build friendships, minister to people, and worship the Lord.
DAY 1 (Saturday): Let Everything That Has Breath Praise the Lord!
So far we’ve kicked things off to a good start, beginning our trip at Raleigh-Durham International airport after a great flight out of Midway in Chicago. We stepped outside to be greeted by none other than the cool Carolina air, quite the far-cry from the still-wintry weather that’s hanging over the midwest. From the air it was even more obvious what was waiting for us on the east coast. For a good 45 min of our 1hr 15min flight the ground below us was all white—miles and miles of snow, ice, & tundra that stretched across the gridded Midwestern prairies. But here, the forecast for the whole week is looking like a pretty comfortable 70ยบ.
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| Somewhere over the U.S.A. |
Bill, our awesome bus driver, was waiting outside the airport to take us over to Wilmington, an historic city by the coast. When our bus ride ended, we received yet another change in scenery—palm trees! Being from the south myself, I was even more excited to hear that we’d be dining at a local seafood eatery that night. That excitement slowly drifted into skepticism when Ms. Tanya told me the name of the place: “Something Fishy”. But I was impressed regardless, and feeling particularly deprived of my favorite Southern beverage, downed about 4 glasses of sweet tea. From tea to time with friends, I can already tell that God is going to work in big ways over the next week—something that I feel blessed to be a part of. — Connor
Thursday, March 5, 2015
The Wheaton College Gospel Choir
2015 TOUR ITINERARY – Raleigh/Charlotte, North Carolina
1Peter 2:9 – But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation a people
belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of
darkness into His marvelous light!
45 Servants of God ~ 10 full days of Music & Service
Saturday March 7th -
Rehearsal:
8:30pm - Warner Temple AME Zion Church
620 Nixon Street Wilmington, NC 28401
Sunday March 8th -
Morning Worship Service:
11:00am - Freedom’s Way International, Inc
1952 Dawson St. Wilmington, NC 28401
3:00pm- Warner Temple AME Zion Church – Full Concert
620 Nixon Street Wilmington, NC 28401
Monday March 9th -
10-3pm - Sight See in Wilmington
6:30pm - Victory Mountain Camp - Mr. Dennis LaRue, Director
Tuesday March 10th -
Full Concert:
11 am - N. Raleigh Christian Academy
7300 Perry Creek Rd. Raleigh, NC 27616
3:00 pm - Campground Ministry (*CM - 3-6pm)
Wednesday March 11th -
Full Concert:
2:00pm - Redeemer School
1046 Miller St Winston- Salem 27103
7:00pm - Catch The Fire Raleigh - Youth Ministry
9225 Leesville Rd. Raleigh, NC 27613
Youth Group Fellowship & Time of worship
Thursday March 12th -
Full Concert:
9:00am - Wesleyan Christian Academy
1917 N. Centennial St. High Point, NC 27262
6:45pm - New Life Fellowship Center
1337 Samuel St. Charlotte, NC 28206
Friday March 13th –
Full Concert:
12 noon - Victory Christian Center School (*CM - 8-10am)
7224 Old Pineville Rd. Charlotte, NC 28217
2:30pm - Billy Graham Library – Sing & Tour
4330 Westmont Dr. Charlotte 28217
8:00pm - Southern Korean Presbyterian - Full Concert
3618 McKee Rd Charlotte, NC 28270
Saturday March 14th -
Free Time & Sight Seeing
Sunday March 15th -
Morning Worship Service:
9:30am - Love and Faith Christian Fellowship - Greensboro
4344 Blackberry Road Greensboro, NC 27406
3:00pm - Church of the Apostles - Concert
333 Church at North Hills Street Raleigh, NC 27609
Monday March 16th -
12noon - Visit Duke University
3:00pm - Travel to airport
5:00pm - Travel back to campus
For the privilege of representing The King…
To GOD be the Glory! Great things He
has done!
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Day 9
Dear Gospel Choir followers,
What a bittersweet day it has been. We finished up our tour
today and we are headed back to chilly Illinois tomorrow.
Today was
our last morning at La Jolla Presbyterian. We awoke from our slumber, gathered
together all of our smelly luggage (what do you expect after 10 days of lots of
use and very little washing?), and wandered downstairs to grab some breakfast. We
were expecting to just clean up and hop on the bus, when—in typical Gospel
Choir fashion—we agreed to sing Days of Elijah with the church choir at the
last minute. We learned the new version of the song in about 10 minutes and
sang it successfully in the service. Woo! All of those people were very
welcoming and kind and CUTE! This was just another testament of how God has
blessed us with encountering some amazing people on this trip.
We scooted
on out of the service after we were finished and loaded the new bus. Yes, it
was a new bus. For the whole trip, Pastor Salter had been our faithful
driver, but unfortunately he had to leave us last night. So I would like to
take just a moment to explain just how great of a human being Pastor Salter is.
You need to understand that he came to every single one of our concerts, camera
in hand. He was not only a bus driver, he was also a friend and a huge support
to all of us. We though he was great, and we miss him!
So anyways,
we boarded our new bus and headed for Total Deliverance Worship Center for our
penultimate concert. We were greeted with some nice snacks and bustled into the
sanctuary. It was a very upbeat and an all-around good worship time. We sang
well and according to one of the lovely people there, this was the first time
that a guest choir had sung during the service in 15 years. What a privilege!
They served us a delicious lunch of fried chicken and fish and sweet potato pie,
among other goodies. They were so gracious and hospitable, it was so good to
sing there and meet all of those wonderful people!
We boarded
the bus once again and began our two hour trek to LA, where we would give our
last concert at South Bay Church of God. We were all sleepy and warm, since it
was almost 90 that day…not that we were really complaining. But we unpacked our
stuff from the bus and shuffled inside. The concert was good. There were lots
of alumni there who really contributed to the mood of the concert. I believe
that considering how exhausted we were, we still had a good time of worship.
The good times just continued to roll on into dinner time, and man oh man was
it delicious! The conversation was also very good and it was a joy to be able
to talk with some of the lovely congregation. Overall, it was a great night,
and an especially great way to end tour.
After
dinner we were driven to the hotel where we are staying tonight. Tour has been
both rejuvenating and exhausting, a time of bonding and a time of personal
reflection. I wish we could stay longer, but at the same time I’m ready to go
home and share my experiences with everyone. It truly is a bittersweet time. Tomorrow
morning we are heading to the airport and eventually leaving beautiful
California behind, hopefully not for long though. It has been such an amazing
experience and my eyes have been opened to the beauty of California. I praise
God for all of the absolutely amazing opportunities, experience, and people that
we have encountered. I think I can speak for the choir when I say that this
precious time will not soon be forgotten.
So, I hope
you have enjoyed reading about our adventures! Thank you so much for the
continued support, love, and prayers. It is so comforting to know that we have
such a strong support group. We love you with the love of the Lord!
Laura and Lucy Rose, on behalf of the Wheaton College Gospel
Choir
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