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!
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!
