Day 2 of Choir Tour started bright and early worship services at 8:30am, 9:45am, and 11:11am at Grace UMC. Moving from service to service proved to be a whirlwind, but we made it!
Each service at this beautiful church had its own feel -- from casual worship on the lawn at the 8:30am to a traditional setting at 9:45am, and ending with a jazz service at 11:11. At the 9:45am service, we were joined by Grace's talented organist Jane Flora who accompanied us on "Praise the Lord." She was awesome! And at the 11:11am, we had the GREAT fun of singing with the Jim Pickley trio --- this group takes standard hymns and jazzes them up. I wasn't sure what to expect but they were AWESOME. They played with us on "Lift Your Light" (which we planned in advance) and also on "Praise His Holy Name" (which was impromptu). We had a ball!
Our plan was to pick up picnic lunches and head over to the East Race Waterway for some white water rafting this afternoon but a wild thunderstorm caused us to cancel. We had some disappointed VIPs, to be sure.
By 3:30, we were on the road again - this time to Hope Family Ministries, a shelter that provides housing and services to individuals and families in crisis. What's unique about Hope is that it has different floors for different types of people -- single men, single women, single parents with kids, and married couples with and without kids. We performed a concert/chapel service at this venue -- and while it started out with a small crowd, the folks kept coming and by the end of the concert, we had a nearly full house. We invited the audience to play percussion instruments on several songs and enjoyed watching them enjoy the experience. All in all, it was a pretty good concert and while there are still some musical enhancements to be made, the overall vibe of the service was just where we like it to be -- warm, uplifting, God-centered.
After the concert, we threw a pizza party for the residents and hung out with them. Then, it was off to the bowling alley for a few games. We had fun -- but we won't be joining a bowling league any time soon. With a few exceptions, we are shockingly bad bowlers.
Back to the hotel for Devo, this time led by Eric. He chose to focus on one of John Wesley's guidelines for singing, instead of a scripture. The choir had a good discussion about singing with an eye towards pleasing God and closed the day in prayer. Eric has put a lot of thought into his devotional, and really worked hard to share it with the choir.
They're off to bed and so am I. We have another early day tomorrow!
Welcome! Voices In Praise exists for the glory of God and in service to others. As the youth choir of Friendship United Methodist Church, the group is open to all youth in grades 6 -12 who have a desire to sing and a willingness to make the commitment to the group. Singers are not required to be a member of the church or to have any background in singing. Our doors are open to everyone!
The choir rehearses on Mondays. Girls rehearse from 6:30pm – 8pm; Guys rehearse from 7pm – 8:30pm.
New singers are welcome any time. Feel free to contact Director Holly Reynolds Lee at 301-728-1748 with questions!
The choir rehearses on Mondays. Girls rehearse from 6:30pm – 8pm; Guys rehearse from 7pm – 8:30pm.New singers are welcome any time. Feel free to contact Director Holly Reynolds Lee at 301-728-1748 with questions!