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.

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.

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 70º.

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

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!

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

             

Day 6

Hello! 

Today was another amazing day of tour. I have said that for just about every other day, but it’s the truth. 

If you have been keeping up with the blog, then you will know that the day did not start in an ideal way. After most of us went to bed around 2 that morning due to a late night concert the night before, we all got up at 6 preparing to get on the bus by 7. However, some prayers were literally answered when we got a call at 6:45ish informing us that the bus had broken down. We would not be driving to San Diego this morning after all. From what I gathered from the rest of the choir, most of us went back to sleep for two more glorious hours. At nine then we got another call: be on the bus in five minutes. So we scrambled aboard a new bus and started our trek to San Diego to sing at a chapel service at St. Margret’s Episcopal School. 

The chapel service was filled to the brim with energy. The school was absolutely beautiful and we had a sense of awe as we entered the grounds. During chapel some of the students started warming up to the music and by the time we were singing No More Burdens at the end, they were cheering and praising and dancing along with us. Honestly, I cannot even describe how much fun it was to sing for them. After the service was over we spent another 20 minutes with a couple of the students having a Jesus party with the band. It was incredibly uplifting, especially considering the less than ideal morning we had.

After we finished singing the Director of Performing Arts gave us a tour of their brand-spanking new Performing Arts center on campus. It was absolutely gorgeous and we were very warmly welcomed by everyone we encountered. In the end, it was a wonderful morning and we all left especially grateful for the chance to worship with these students and see this beautiful campus.

Our next stop: lunch. We drove through some winding neighborhoods until we arrived at the Campbell’s beautiful house. Greg Campbell is an alumni of Wheaton College and Gospel Choir. He and his wife were gracious enough to open their home to us and feed us some delicious food. It was a very relaxing lunch. We lounged out by the pool and garden and talked with Greg and Antje about Wheaton and got a tour of her art studio, among other things. After singing for them and thanking them, we were back on the road.

This time, we were headed to Moreno Valley College to do a choir exchange. A choir exchange is basically when we got together with another choir—a gospel choir in this case—and sing for each other. When we arrived, they were so incredibly welcoming and friendly and chatty that we felt right at home. They were also an amazingly talented group of students. We really enjoyed listening to them, and from what we heard, they enjoyed listening to us to. Afterword was dinner, an exchange of special ‘thank yous’ and piling back on the bus to drive to La Jolla where we would be sleeping that night.

In the end, it was amazing to see how God turned the day around—from a crummy morning to an amazing day as a whole. God is so good!

Laura

 

Day 7

Dear Friends of the Choir,

Today was a beautiful day of rest. We sang at the high school of our beloved fellow-choir-member Catherine Anne. We had fun leading the kids in upbeat worship. We know they had fun too, because they insisted we continue singing and even joined us on stage to sing and dance with us.

Afterwards we were driven to Mission Beach in San Diego. We spent the afternoon lying on the beach. We talked, slept and tanned. We grit our teeth and ran squealing  like wild things into the ocean and let the waves toss our bodies around.

Many of us built a huge sand volcano together with seaweed lace spilling out of the top. It was really ugly. We also buried David (nicknamed Thor) in the sand and entitled the piece "Thor's Day at the Beach" as we had sculpted the sand covering him into the shape of the bulky Norse superhero.

Now we are having dinner together. We are crispy and sunburned with sand in our ears and clinging to our arm hair. We thank the Lord for a day of rest after a week of traveling and aerobic praise (actually I think Aerobic Praise could be the next big workout fad after Zumba).

Goodnight Gentlefolk,
LucyRose

P.S. Day 6 is coming soon. We have not had internet access.