Last Saturday night the combined student choirs One-A-Chord and Crossfire joined forces with other church talents to bring a night of fun, food, fellowship and Broadway entertainment like Mt. Bethel has never seen!
The event started as choir students served a delicious Tapas-style meal to over 280 guests who bought tickets in an effort to raise funds for their choir tour. Students sang and danced to hits such as 42nd Street, New York, New York and Lullaby of Old Broadway. And if that was not enough, the crowd was thrilled to have Associate Ministers Diane Parrish and Vaughn Stafford each share a solo number and then nearly bring the audience to tears with their duet “All I Ask of You” from Phantom of the Opera.
Music interns John Brown and Matthew Sparkman provided a bit of comedic relief while Drama director Brittany Leazer donned a cowboy boots and hat and shared a solo from Annie Get Your Gun. The Kingsman were kind to add a spirited number from South Pacific and Youth Choir Director Suzanne Tucker even joined in the fun with a solo from Guys and Dolls. Sprinkled throughout the Three Act evening, several students were able to spotlight their Broadway talents with solo performances from Katie Hollenshead, Jenna Meredith, Samantha Rascle, Kevin Geiger, Savannah Perdue and a duet with Alexa Combs and Laura Shepherd.
The final number was a joint effort with both the Middle and High school choirs sharing “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from Hairspray which was the perfect topper to the evening of tapas! The event was a huge hit with not only the students and the audience… but the Youth Choir Budget as well! Thanks to the addition of a successful silent auction, this evening of entertainment raised over $4000 to help offset cuts in the department.
With all of the food, music and excitement of New York’s Broadway without having to leave East Cobb, perhaps Mt. Bethel will make this an annual event!
Jambo! We are so excited that Daraja African Children’s Choir is coming back to Mt. Bethel! If you heard them perform last year, and listened to some of their testimonies, you will be excited also! Many of our mission team members met a lot of these children in Kenya. They have none of the material things that our children and grandchildren have and yet they are among the most joyful kids you will ever meet. When they sing about their Faith, they really mean it! When they dance, it is truly worship!
They will be in concert at 6:30 on Sunday, October 5, in the sanctuary. They are also making a visit to Live It Live that day. We only need two more host families for October 4 and 5 so contact the mission office if interested.
What an outstanding Music Week we had at Mt. Bethel UMC last week! There were 107 rising first through sixth graders and a staff of 30. In just five afternoons, these children learned an entire musical play…the songs, the choreography, lots of acting parts, and many words to memorize. They came to us each day energized and ready to rehearse.
On Friday evening the children performed “Aristocats, Kids” and did a wonderful job. They almost made the audience think they had rehearsed for six weeks, not just one week! Mt. Bethel’s Music Week has become a highlight of the summer for many children in the church and in the community!
What a better way to have fun and fellowship than dancing, singing, and acting in this year’s Music Week Production of Disney’s Aristocats, Kids? This year children from 1st to 6th grade will rotate through drama classes, dance classes, bell and chimes classes, music classes, and the children’s favorite class, lunch. These kids will have many opportunities to have fun with their friends while learning music and acting skills through fellowship shared with our talented Music Ministry Staff. Be sure to check out the final product this Friday, the 25th at 7:00pm. Meow!
This year’s summer mission/music tour took 42 high schoolers (and 10 adults) to Louisville, Indianapolis and Chicago. (You can check out our itinerary on Google Earth!) We left Friday morning for Louisville, enjoying the fellowship of a truly special group of high school students. Believe it or not (and I know you won’t believe me)…I never heard one complaint from this group…ever! They were positive and appreciative and easy-going. Just a joy to work with!
Here are some highlights from our trip:
In Louisville, we provided lunch, sang and played games with the children from Wesley House. What a blessing it was to see their faces light up when our youth spent time with them!
Orchard Park Presbyterian church in Indianapolis…Sunday morning. We sang two services. In the traditional, we were up and down the stairs to the choir loft all morning…it was like singing while using a Stairmaster. They were so appreciative of our songs and really made us feel welcome. In the contemporary service, the band could barely hold themselves back from playing along!
Sunday evening…A beautiful old Congregational church in Crystal Lake, IL. A very tasty dinner, followed by the first full concert presentation of our tour.
Sight-seeing on Monday…a perfect day! Bike ride along Lake Michigan, deep dish pizza, Chicago’s wonderful museums, Michigan Avenue malls and the lights of the city seen from the Hancock Observatory. What a city!
On Tuesday, we cooked a full breakfast for the residents of the Eckhardt Senior Apartments, a subsidized housing unit for the elderly in Chicago. Eggs, sausage, biscuits, bananas, coffee, oj…prepared and served by our fabulous youth…with some help from a great team of chaperones! After breakfast we simply spent time with each resident, talking and listening. Then we went up to their 20th floor rec room and sang a concert with a great view of the city all around us.
Dinner at Ed Debevics! Don’t talk back and watch what you ask for!!
If you’re ever in Chicago, you need to check out the Chicago Temple! This skyscraper church has an amazing sanctuary…as if an old traditional church has been encased in a high-rise. Every Wednesday, First Methodist Chicago (aka Chicago Temple) has a noon-time communion service. For many people who work in the city, that service is their “Sunday.” We provided music for the service, then ascended 20 floors and 173 steps (whew!) to the Sky Chapel, a small chapel with panoramic views of the city and a rich history.
Wednesday night, we celebrated our time in Chicago. The seniors had a special dinner cruise on Lake Michigan that was lots of fun…despite the thick fog. (Hey seniors…Lola misses you already!) The rest of the crew enjoyed the evening at Navy Pier.
We left Chicago for the drive back to Louisville. Thursday evening, we presented our last full concert for the trip at Friendship House, a senior assisted living home. In a packed, standing room only, oppressively hot room, One A-Chord sang their hearts out…and the crowd responded with enthusiastic applause, lots of smiles, hugs and kisses. It was a fantastic end to the musical part of our journey. Of course the fun didn’t end!
Friday…Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. Roller coasters and water rides that afternoon. Friday evening…choir banquet at the Hard Rock Café, followed by our annual superlative awards handed out riverside.
I’ve outlined the main stops, but couldn’t begin to tell you about all the moments in between. Students led wonderful, thoughtful devotions each night. Our wonderful college interns led the group in singing praise songs. “Family” groups who may not have really known each other before tour, spent time praying, talking, and supporting each other. And of course all the fun…movies on the bus, tossing the Frisbee in the park, climbing trees, crawling the malls, cookie dough in hotel rooms and lots and lots of laughter.
Mt. Bethel…you should be very proud of this group. I certainly am. They represented you in fine fashion! I hope you were all in worship last Sunday to hear One A-Chord present their Homecoming Concert. If you weren’t…you really missed something!
And if you’re a high school youth not participating in One A-Chord…join us next year! You don’t know what you’re missing. Check out 56 pictures from the trip, or watch the video below for a recap!
Our music department has received a number of e-mails regarding the patriotic concert last week. Here are a few of them:
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I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say thanks for such a moving and extremely well done performance Sunday evening! What a fitting and thoughtful tribute to our men and women who sacrificed their lives for our country. It also was nice to see the sanctuary so full. It was literally standing room only.
I wish I had been able to participate this year. Hopefully next year!
Kudos to everyone for the magnificent performance.
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WOW! What a wonderful concert. I do believe it was the best one ever! The time just flew by (and that is saying something). You had a great blend of old and new songs. I especially liked “In His Care-O”. I know it was one you had to convince the choir they would like and it was worth it!
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After the social tonight my husband and I were eating dinner at Tijuana Joes with some friends from church. I was still in my vest, and a family of three was eating at a table nearby; I had seen them in the Fellowship Hall after the concert. As they left, the mother stopped by to tell me what a wonderful concert it had been and they were so glad they came—–was it this good every year? Their daughter attends the Mt. Bethel Academy, and they attend Roswell UMC. And, as she put it, the Roswell UMC Patriotic Concert “didn’t compare to our concert”!!! She said she was glad she could hear the choir over the orchestra, that the balance was very good. Also that her father is the Minister of Music at a church and that it took a lot to impress him, but she thought he would really like a CD or DVD of our concert–was one going to be made that she could send to him?
So kudos to our Music Ministry Department and the wonderful leadership the two of you provide for our church and community. You never know who is going to be impressed when we use the talents the Lord has given us. Thank you both for all that you give of your time and your talents to our church.
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My son and I sat in a row full of Lutherans in the balcony who wished they could have such a wonderful choir. We ran into some Jewish friends at the Ice Cream Social who were very glad that they had been invited by a friend, as they so enjoyed your performance. As a veteran of Vietnam, I admit that I need to remember to bring a hankie as it is hard for me to stay dry eyed with the power of your performance. My hat is off and I salute you for your pride and dedication you voice for the cause of freedom. This is a very powerful ministry that I am happy my wife is part of.
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I’m proud of all our Mt. Bethel vets - and if I missed any who participated with this note, please forward this on to them. We had great choir participation, a solo by John Fraser (I prefer his rendition of “God Bless the U.S.A.” over Lee Greenwood singing it - who I heard in person last week); us old vets trying to look sharp representing the Army, Navy, and Air Force; Anthony Cunha looking sharp as a Marine, the only one who could actually pass for a fighting man these days, and doing a great job in the spotlight with his speaking part (glad you stood up for saying “I am a Marine”, instead of sticking to the script and saying Soldier). To our ushers who did their typical great job, to those who participated by wearing their uniform and sitting in the audience. Don Webster for twisting his son-in-law’s arm to get him to bring in the flag - a highlight to have a real active duty Soldier in our ranks.
All in all - I’m proud of you all - and our other vets who are making more people at Mt. Bethel appreciate the honor we vets feel for having served our country. As I’ve said often, it’s our job to teach others how to be patriotic and there’s no time better than the Patriotic Concert to do that. Thanks for stepping up to the challenge.
And thanks, Randy and Ira, for making this a regular event at Mt. Bethel. We must continue to work to make more of our fellow American citizens understand that “Freedom Is Not Free”. This concert does a great job in making that known. And I agree, Ira, God was helping you out when He introduced you to the guest conductor, he loved it and so did the audience.
I’ll be hitting the Roswell and Marietta National Cemetery Memorial Day events tomorrow, then I’ll relax and enjoy time with my Family. Hope you enjoy the rest of the long weekend.
Once again, I’m proud of all of you and appreciate all you do to teach others about the honor of being called a veteran. Keep up the great work!
Our High School choir is on their way to Chicago for their annual tour. They’ll be stopping in various places in Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois on their way. We’ve built a few tools to help highlight their trip and give you frequent status updates.
The first is our Google Earth KML of their trip plan. If you have Google Earth installed, simply load this file and it will highlight all of their stops along the way. If you don’t yet have Google Earth installed, you can download it (for free!) from this site. If you have any problems with it, please post your question in our Technical Help forum and we’ll do our best to help you out.
