Tour Update
The week following our home concerts, we set out on tour to spread the message of Christ's invitation into love and unity across borders through our music ministry. Beginning in Boston, we set out on our cruise ship, which would allow us to maximize our time in each locale we visited rather than requiring waking hours of travel between each leg of the trip.
Our first stop was Portland, Maine, where we received a tour of the town before putting on a Sunday morning service on the sidewalk in the pouring rain, which included prayer, music, and a message from one of our choir chaplains, Judy Enns.
From there, we continued on to Canada, spending the next few days in different towns of Nova Scotia. On Cape Breton, we attended a benefit concert by a famous local musician who had just been inducted into the island's Music Hall of Fame and a portion of the proceeds went to the community's Music Society. Directors Aaron and Keith were interviewed by the Canadian Broadcast Corporation and told about the aim of fostering friendship and goodwill between people of different backgrounds. Then we were able to pass on a donation on behalf of each of our churches to the district's head music administrator who would use the money to help pay for much-needed instrument repair at schools where the students would benefit most from it.
The last stop in that area was in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, where the choir was privileged to learn from the pastor and church historians at the Kirk of St. James--whose congregation is celebrating its 200th year in existence--before providing a concert for their community and making a donation to their church's choral scholar program, benefiting the development of our next generation of church musicians.
The next day featured an exciting opportunity for us to share our music with our fellow shipmates and we were so pleased to have over 100 audience members join us onboard for a full concert, including the combined choirs, chime ringers, and instrumentalists.
Finally, we arrived in Quebec City and presented a concert in the historic Basilique-Cathédral Notre-Dame de Québec at night, followed by a worship service the next morning at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church (founded in 1759).
Overall, our hearts are bursting with joy from the experience of learning through broader perspectives, sharing our music and its invitational message with others, and growing closer with old and new friends through extended and intentional time together in community. We trust that the encouragement to be United in Praise rang loud and clear through God's movement throughout this wonderful journey.
UNITED IN PRAISE
The combined choirs of La Jolla and Solana Beach Presbyterian Churches in concert
Through our home concerts and music ministry tour, our combined choirs and instrumental ensembles aim to foster love and unity through God's healing gift of art. With that in mind, we hope that you will linger after the concert to talk and spend time with us so that we can get to know each other better and connect with old and new friends! We are deeply grateful for the support of the local communities and pray that this diverse musical program stirs inspiration in your heart and feeds the soul.
