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Come and make a joyful noise unto the Lord. The Music Ministry of our church strives to enrich the worship experience of the entire congregation with multiple choirs for singers and players of all ages.
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July 10, 2007. I’m at Gate 5 in the Riga airport in Latvia with 37 others from the Detroit Methodist Conference Chorale.
Once every three years, Doris and I and Sharon Ulep organize a trip to Europe for singers from the Detroit Conference. This was one of those years. We added Russia, Finland, Estonia and Latvia to our list of countries visited, bringing the total to 23. Among our singers were Ed and Ku Adams, recent retirees from our church. Ed sings tenor and Ku (Kullika) is Estonian. While in Estonia, we were honored to hear Ku tell her family’s story of escape during the Russian Occupation. Her father was deported to Siberia and never seen again. Ku and her mother hid in the forest, slept in trenches, and eventually boarded a boat to Germany. They arrived in the U.S. after being sponsored by a Lutheran church in Ohio.
The last time the Adams toured with us, we were in the Czech Republic. Ed was so moved by conditions in Prague and their struggling Methodist churches that he started what is now known as the Czech Initiative. Singing is so much more than just singing. This trip to the Baltics was equal parts great singing, beautiful scenery, wonderful food, history, and a deeper understanding of the human spirit and freedom.
Our concerts were a mix of many styles of music, and one piece by John Rutter, “A Distant Land,” was one of our favorites. It was written in 1990 following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the release of Nelson Mandela.
...There may be hills to climb, or giants to fight. But if you’ll take my hand, we’ll walk together toward the land of freedom. I hear a distant song: it fills the air. I hear it, deep and strong, rise up in prayer: “O Lord, we are many, help us to be one. Heal our divisions: let thy will be done…” I touch a distant hand and feel its glow. The hand I hoped was there, at last I know. Swords into ploughshares, can it all come true? Friends out of strangers start with me and you...
The early ’90s were turbulent times in the Soviet block countries. Poland and Lech Walesa started the bloom of freedom, and it spread. During this time, there were massive demonstrations in Estonia and Latvia—thousands gathering and singing national songs at the risk of imprison-ment. The scope of these demonstrations boggles the mind. At one point, hundreds of thousands of people formed a human chain from one end of Estonia through Latvia and Lithuania. And they sang. Religious songs, folk songs, patriotic songs. Singing has always been a part of their national identity, and it continues. We were one week late to experience the Estonian song festival where thousands gather in a huge amphitheater by the harbor in Tallinn. This year’s festival exceeded 32,000 singers and dancers. We, the 38 Methodists, had nothing to teach about the importance of singing. They have it figured out. We felt honored to share our voices in such a place.
If you ever doubted the importance of singing, learn this lesson: Hearts are changed, nations are changed. I have proof.
Which brings me to this. Life changing, church changing, nation changing exper-iences are waiting for you and your children. In 2009, we will take our high school choir to England for the fourth time, singing our way through cathedrals large and Methodist churches small, and walking in the footsteps of John and Charles Wesley. In May 2008, many of our Chancel Choir members will sing in Carnegie Hall with a massed choir directed by John Rutter. In August 2008, kids will be singing at Choir Camp. All of us meeting Christ as a people who sing their faith. We’re waiting for you.
Chris Hall
