A VIP Wedding

Yesterday VIP's accompanist Briana Bailey was married to one Mr. Joshua Gresko! A beautiful bride, a gorgeous day, and a very happy couple -- from start to finish, it was a wonderful event.

Several VIP singers (current and alum) were there: Bennett ('07), Blaire ('09), Mary Brooke, Tabitha ('05), Leanna ('08), Jenna, Jill ('07), Molly ('09) and of course, Brie's brother Brad ('07). As I watched this crew sing the hymns, kick up their heels, and celebrate the wedding of Brie and Josh, I was reminded of how God brings people together, and how wonderful long friendships can be, especially ones that are rooted in VIP. The thing with VIP  is -- you never know who's going to walk through the door of the music room and change your life. And we never know exactly how God is going to use each of us to change someone else's world.

Brie Bailey came to VIP on "Bring A Friend" Night nearly a decade ago. I don't really remember her there but thinking back on the girl she was then, that's not too surprising. Brie was incredibly quiet and a little shy, and she didn't return to VIP as a singer. But when we were searching for an accompanist the following fall, a VIP said, "Hey, my friend, Brie plays the piano. Let me ask her." The rest, as they say, is history.

Today, I see only traces of the quiet and shy girl that she was. Instead, I see an accomplished musician, a fantastic teacher, a faithful Christian, and a very dear friend. Congratulations Brie and Josh! Thanks for being you and for sharing your day with us!

P.S. Would anyone like to take a guess at how many times I'll call her "Brie Bailey" instead of "Brie Gresko?" :-)

Voices In Praise featured in The Capital

Merry Christmas, VIP! Thank you all for a great and heart-warming performance last night. As the world welcomes the King of Kings, it's a delight to witness you join the chorus of angels to proclaim, "Glory to God in the Highest!"

While we were busy preparing for Christmas Eve, Voices In Praise was featured in an article in the The Capital. Special thanks to Charlie, Dylan, and Mary Brooke for their willingness to be interviewed, and to Ashley Collinson who shared some of her photos for the article. And BIG thanks to reporter Mitchelle Stephenson for writing a story about us.

Wishing all of our singers, families, and friends a joyous day, full of the deep peace that comes from the knowledge that you are children of God, loved more than you can imagine and treasured more than you know.

VIP - Cancelled for Today :-(

Voices In Praise's performance at the National Christmas Tree on Monday, Dec. 21 has been cancelled. There will be no rehearsals or other VIP activities today. :-(

We need to squeeze in a rehearsal before Christmas, so here's our latest game plan:
Wednesday, Dec. 23
3:15pm - 5pm: Rehearsal for all VIPs at church
5pm-5:30pm: Dinner at church
5:30pm-8:30pm: Sledding at Ken Reynolds' house

If Anne Arundel County Schools are open on Wednesday, we'll pick up singers from SMS and SHS. If Anne Arundel County Schools are closed on Wednesday, we'll ask singers to make their way to church for rehearsal at 3:15pm. Singers, if anyone needs a ride, just let Holly know.

There is a chance we'll get rescheduled to sing at the Tree after Christmas. The National Park Service has performances scheduled through Dec. 23 but the Tree is open until Jan. 1. We asked the Park Service if they'd consider allowing performances to take place from Dec. 26 - Jan. 1, given the unique circumstances. They're considering this request and will get back to us today or tomorrow.

All Systems GO!

As far as I know, VIP is on for today! The question is: can we get out of our neighborhoods to meet at church at 2:30? I understand that main roads have been plowed but many neighborhoods (mine included) haven't seen a plow. I've called the county and asked for their plowing schedule and was told we're "on the list" -- whatever that means. :-) My neighbors with trucks and Suburbans are cruising around and I think if we can just get out of our neighborhoods, we can make it.

Here's what I need to know:
1.) Who needs a ride because their streets haven't been plowed?
2.) Who needs a ride because their parents aren't home, but your street HAS been plowed?
3.) Which parents have 4-wheel drive and can help pick up kids from un-plowed streets?

Please respond asap via email and I'll try to coordinate this effort!

Singers, please report to church at 2:30pm so that we can have a full rehearsal before we depart for the Tree. Wear black pants and any shirt or sweater. Please make sure you have a coat, and some sort of brightly colored winter weather accessories (hat, scarves, gloves, etc.) We will have rehearsal from 2:30pm-4pm and then board the bus to travel to Washington, DC. We’ll sing at the Tree, and then have some time to visit the tree. We’ll depart for home and stop for dinner somewhere along the way. We will be back at FUMC around 9pm. Please bring $10- $15 for dinner.

Parents – we have reserved two 54-passenger motorcoaches – one for the choir and one for you. And we still have seats on your bus. If you would like to ride the bus to DC to watch VIP, please let Holly know. We don’t have a cost for the bus yet, but estimate that the total cost would be around $15 per person. So that you don’t have to wait in the cold for too long, Bus #2 will depart closer to 4:30pm. Bus #2 also will stop for dinner en route home.

Parents, if you're driving on your own, please know that the Redskins play at home tonight and that game day traffic can be a nightmare. Plan your route accordingly!

Sledding Party - Postponed

VIP's Sledding Party, originally scheduled for today from 1-4, has been postponed. I think we're all still snowed in!

At this point, I'm hopeful that we'll sing at the National Christmas Tree tomorrow and do some sledding on Tuesday -- but we'll have to see how things go with the shoveling and plowing.

Stay warm, VIP and I hope to see you tomorrow!

Love,
Holly

Amended Schedule 2, 12/18/09, 6:02pm

Saturday, Dec. 19 – All performances and activities have been cancelled, including our performance at the National Christmas Tree. (But we have been rescheduled, so keep reading!)

Sunday, Dec. 20 – Sledding party from 1pm-4pm for all VIPs and VIP Alum and their families at the home of Ken & Faye Reynolds: 600 Woodland Way, Owings, MD. If you have a sled or snowboard, you’re welcome to bring it. Please eat lunch before you come. Thanks!

Directions: From church, head south on Route 2. Turn left onto Route 260. Go past Bank of America and Dash In and proceed for about ½ mile or so. Turn right onto Woodland Way. The Reynolds’ house is all the way at the end, on the cul-de-sac.

Questions about sledding? Call Holly (home: 410-257-3553; cell: 301-728-1748) or Ken Reynolds (home: 301-855-6965).

Note: if it’s still snowing on Sunday and/or the roads are not yet clear, we’ll postpone the sledding party. Keep an eye on the VIP blog for info!

Monday, Dec. 21 – VIP will perform at the National Christmas Tree at 6pm!!!

If you have school on Monday: we will arrange pick-ups at all schools so that VIPs will come directly to FUMC. Bring an after-school snack and your performance clothes to change into. We will have rehearsal from 3pm-4pm and then board the bus to travel to Washington, DC. We’ll sing at the Tree, and then have some time to visit the tree. We’ll depart for home and stop for dinner somewhere along the way. We will be back at FUMC around 9pm. Please bring $10- $15 for dinner.

If you do not have school on Monday: we would like all singers to report to church at 2:30pm so that we can have a full rehearsal before we depart for the Tree. (If you need a ride to church, just let Holly know!) We will have rehearsal from 2:30pm-4pm and then board the bus to travel to Washington, DC. We’ll sing at the Tree, and then have some time to visit the tree. We’ll depart for home and stop for dinner somewhere along the way. We will be back at FUMC around 9pm. Please bring $10- $15 for dinner.

Parents – we have reserved two 54-passenger motorcoaches – one for the choir and one for you. If you would like to ride the bus to DC to watch VIP, please let Holly know. We don’t have a cost for the bus yet, but estimate that the total cost would be around $15 per person. So that you don’t have to wait in the cold for too long, Bus #2 will depart closer to 4:30pm.

Amended Schedule I - 12/18/2009, 2:56pm

The Rockapella concerts will not take place tomorrow. Here is the amended VIP schedule:

10:10am - Meet at Greenstreet
10:30am - Concert at Greenstreet -- singers head home after the concert
5:15pm - Meet at church to board busses and depart for the National Christmas Tree (Please eat dinner before you come.)
8pm - Concert at the National Christmas Tree

Rockapella has been postponed to Jan. 30 but I'm not sure this date will work for us. I anticipate that some people who signed up for the trip will be unable to go on Jan. 30, so I'm going to request a refund of our tickets. If you already paid for your trip, you will get your money back! Please give us 2-3 weeks to get this processed.

Given the adjustment to our schedule - parents, if you want to ride up to the Natl. Christmas Tree on the bus with us, you can. We have 2 motorcoaches that can each handle 54 people. People who signed up for the full day trip will be given priority seating, and then we'll open it to everyone.

Preparing for a Change in Plans

I'm a snow-lover at heart. Truly. I appreciate a good snowfall, and all the stuff that comes with it:  hot chocolate, sledding, days off from school/work, and the eery silence of a world brought to a temporary halt.

But does it HAVE to snow on Saturday?!

Voices In Praise has a busy line-up planned:
10:30am - Concert at Greenstreet Gardens in Lothian, MD
11:45am - Lunch at Friendship UMC
2pm - Rockapella Concert at George Mason U. followed by dinner and shopping at Pentagon City Mall
8pm - Concert at the National Christmas Tree

If the weather forecasters are right (a big IF in this town), we need to be prepared to change all or some of our plans. It's too soon to tell what might happen weather-wise and there are just too many factors at play to have any idea how the day will go.

Here are some of the questions that are rolling around in my mind:
1.) How much snow will be on the ground when VIPs need to set out for Greenstreet? If it's too dangeous to travel, I believe our friends at Greenstreet will understand if we can't make it.
2.) Will George Mason cancel the Rockapella concert? If so, certainly, we won't  head to Fairfax. But if George Mason does NOT cancel the Rockapella Concert at 2pm, we have to decide either to go or forfeit our tickets completely. There are no refunds.
3.) What are the policies for the motorcoaches? How much winter weather will the drivers drive in?
4.) Will the National Park Service cancel all entertainment? It's their stage, their equipment, and their call.
5.) If the Park Service cancels all entertainment, is there any chance of getting us rebooked for another day?

Time will tell...

Stay tuned to this blog for the latest changes to the VIP schedule. 

Praying, praying, praying

Three days till VIP makes its appearance at the National Christmas Tree and what am I doing? Praying, praying, praying that:

1.) It doesn't snow on Saturday.
2.) All the VIPs (including me) who are battling colds, viruses, and other icky bugs would be well.
3.) I can find those music chopstick/clipholder things to somehow clip my music to the stand.
4.) We'll give a performance that makes God happy.
5.) I'll keep in mind that of all the things on this list, #4 is really the most important.

A Note from Tara (one of our 2 Student Directors)

Hey guys! This is my first VIP blog entry...ahhhh! It's exciting :) Snaps to everyone who rose early and sang at the 8:30 service today! We did an amazing job considering everyone was half asleep. I don't know about you, but I had to take a cat nap when I got home from church.


Christmas is coming and so is our concert at the National Christmas Tree!!! I'm praying that the high schoolers will nail Shepherd's Pipe Carol at rehearsal tomorrow because how cool would it be to sing that song there??? I hope everyone's practicing :)

-Tara :)

Oh, by the way, I've already started counting down the days until Choir Tour 2010...only 194 days to go!

Hanging with the Boys

We were short on sopranos in Middle School VIP on Monday night, but because my responsible, faithful, and wonderful singers (flattery gets you somewhere, right?) told me about their absences in advance, Brie and I were able to tweak our rehearsal plans. (How we love advance notice!) We asked the 3 remaining sopranos to skip Middle School rehearsal, and we ran sectionals -- me with the tenors and basses, and Brie with the altos.

It was so fun to work with these young guys! They're great singers and what's kind of surprising is how strong their voices are. These guys are not afraid to sing out! I appreciate their gusto, their goofiness, and they way they crack me up.

From left to right: Ben, Gabe, Cameron, Robbie and Adam 


P.S. Happy Birthday to Adam! It's TODAY!

Photo Journeys - Oh, the Lessons We've Learned!

We've learned a lot of lessons on Choir Tour and believe it or not, one of the major ones is about laundry.

What happened? Well, when we signed the contract for our hotel in Toronto (Choir Tour 2004), the hotel told us we could use their washing machines but when we actually got there, the housekeeping staff had a different story than their colleagues in the sales department. :-) These things happen...

While on tour, the VIPs all take a turn at laundry duty but when we realized just how long it would take to get everything washed and how late the night would be, our uniform guru, Rolinda, (maybe with help from some of the chaperones?) stepped in and saved the day. We tucked our tired singers into bed and Rolinda and the grown-up crew finished the laundry.

The VIPs awoke to find this funny scene in the hallway:

Yes, every singer's uniform was perfectly hung outside his/her hotel door. It was quite a scene -- and thank goodness we were the only guests on this floor of the hotel!

So, as we plan for Choir Tour 2010, Rolinda and all the chaperones who've ever supervised late night/early morning laundry, this one's for you:

Go ahead and count! That's 7 washers and 7 dryers, plus there are two more in the room. (Now, let's just pray that they work! They should, but as I said, these things happen...)

To Rolinda and all our parent chaperones and volunteers - thank you for all you do on Tour and throughout the year to help ensure that we're ready for ministry. We appreciate everything you do for us!

Commitments

How committed are you to the Methodist church?

This question was asked by the wonderful Rev. Amanda Knouse at St. James' Parish in Lothian -- if you listen to our recording online, and wait - you'll hear her at the very end, and then you'll hear a lot of laughter. :-) Amanda rocks.

I'll admit, it's a question that has been in my brain since she asked. To be fair, it was a rhetorical question but let's ponder it anyway -- really, how committed are we to the Methodist Church?

It's an interesting question for Voices In Praise, given that nearly a third of our 41-singers are not Friendship UMC church members or even regular attendees. We have an open door policy - we'll take anyone in Grades 6-12, no matter who they are, where they're from, what they look like, or how well they sing. (Why this is the policy is a topic for another post - so stay tuned!)

But how does that open door policy translate into a commitment?

At some level, of course, we are committed to Friendship. VIP wouldn't exist without the tremendous support that we get from the Pastors (current and past!) and the people. We're incredibly grateful for their generosity, kindness, and enthusiasm, and the opportunities that they give us.

But there are times when God calls us out of Friendship.  We sing at places where God calls us to go -- from prisons to hospitals to soup kitchens to street corners. I know that for many of us, it's these out-of-church performances that stick with us. It's the person with Alzheimer's who can't remember critical details about her life, but knows all the words to "Amazing Grace." It's the child in the hospital who forgets how sick she is, just long enough to clap along with "When the Saints Go Marching In." It's the woman in the shelter whose eyes fill with tears as she watches VIP and wonders how her own kids are doing.

We're committed to God, to going where he calls us, and to serving his people as best we can. And we're committed to each other. VIP (more than any other group I've seen) really works hard to support, help, and strengthen one another. This year's choir, in particular, excels in this area. They're amazing in the way they interact with their fellow singers.

Whether they realize it or not, VIP embodies this concept from Romans 12:
¹⁰Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Be devoted to one another. We do that. We do it well. And it's in that devotion that we are able to honor God in a very special way in a way that we couldn't do alone. Choral singing isn't easy. And it certainly isn't easy with kids with different talents, abilities, and experiences. But we do it anyway.

We need every voice (yes, all of them!), every heart, and every soul working away towards one common goal: to give our musical best for the glory of God.

That's the commitment of Voices In Praise, whether we're doing it at Friendship, St. James', or any other place on earth. To God be the glory - always.