A Choir Makes a New Friend

Oh, be my friend, and teach me to be thine!
      - Ralph Waldo Emerson

We’ve started a choir in St. Louis, Missouri. We call it “One Voice.” It is organized by Latter-day Saints and friends from surrounding stakes who want to sing gospel or praise music not typically sung in sacrament meeting. Through their performances, the choir also hopes to reach out to members and the community and share their testimony of the restored gospel.

People of all backgrounds sing in the choir including African Americans who have a tradition of playing and singing by ear. Our choir’s leadership didn’t know how to bridge the learning style gap between those who read music and those who don’t. We knew we needed help and prayed that someone might cross our path. Our prayers were immediately answered when Marcus visited our choir this last Sunday. Janet, a sister in the choir, introduced us to Marcus, an accomplished musician and singer who has led several choirs around the world in his military service and is a music director for a church choir in St. Louis.

Marcus taught us how to include those who don’t read music. He also shared his testimony of the Savior and with some emotion encouraged the mission of our choir. The spirit was strong, and we felt lifted by his counsel.

At the end of the evening I noticed Marcus wiping tears from his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I am just overcome by the welcome and spirit here.” I could hardly hold back my own tears as I knew Marcus was an answer to our prayer that we might find someone to teach us.

If we had limited our search only to LDS members, would we have met Marcus?

Do we consider that friends not of our faith can help us do the work of the Church?

I am grateful for Marcus and his willingness to share his talents with us. I love him and it is a joyous and wonderful thing to call him a “friend.”  A friend who shares tears of joy.

Comments

[Catherine Muirhead]

My neice, Jacqueline Taylor recently put together a performance of The Women at The Well in her community in Fort Irwin. She held open auditions and invited the Fort Irwin and surrounding communities as well as LDS women. It was by all reports a wonderful experience, well attended and unifying. She said that one of the greatest parts of the experience was the friendships formed with the women she met,"some becoming dear friends, even 'kindred spirits' you might say" .
I wasn't able to attend the performance but this inclusive approach is typical of Jacqueline. She sees the big picture.
I am not musical, but have often thought that various performances at church would be enhanced by community participation.
In our area there is a Stake choir presentation of Handel's Messiah at Christmas that I've always thought would be even more amazing and greatly enriched by opening our auditions to the community at large.
Mind you, I 'm also of a mind that we ought to publish our Relief Society Activities in the local community newsletters and invite people, so far the logistics have been too daunting .
Sharing our talents is also a wonderful way to meet people. And help them to be comfortable in our buildings. A lady in our stake, Suzanne Cooper is a gifted quilter, and has run quilting classes at no charge for several years now with great success. I think her classes are usually at least 1/3- 1/2 friends from the community.
Thanks for this entry - warmed my heart!