This year our congregation has been focusing on creating a place for all to serve. One way that I have been able to serve is by going with the Zumbro choir to the United Kingdom. I don’t think any of us knew exactly what to expect on our trip but we all believed our awesome director Bob Giere when he told us this would be a “life-changing” event.
We had some time to take in the amazing sights and sounds of London and Dublin, but our real focus was on music.
The acoustics in the churches and cathedrals where we sang were amazing. We were able to beautifully share the love and grace of God through song in places that were thousands of years old. And while we never had standing-room only crowds, we did get to share our music with many people. During our two lunchtime concerts the Cathedrals were open to visitors from around the world and it was fun to watch people come in for a tour and be surprised to hear a choir singing. It meant a lot to all of us to be able to make the love of God “come to life” for these people. Our Tour Guide was always happy to hand visitors a brochure to let them know we were from Zumbro Lutheran.
We took the opportunity to listen to some beautiful chorus music as well, and for me those experiences were just as life-changing as singing. I will never forget the experience of attending Evensong at King’s College Chapel in Cambridge. We were able to sit close to the choir and watch them as they filled that incredible space with song. King’s College is where the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols started in 1918 and it is a space I had always hoped to visit. I have the feeling that our own version of Lessons and Carols this year will be even more lovely than in the past with our new-found inspiration.
We also attended Evensong at Westminster Cathedral. We were able to watch the choir there as well. It was a bit difficult to not be distracted during that service thinking about all of the historical events that have occurred there.
On behalf of the choir I would like to thank all of you for your support as we traveled “across the pond” for this experience of a lifetime. We felt lifted up by your prayers. After a bit of a break this summer we will be back in the fall to serve and make even more beautiful music after our UK tour.
