Atlanta Tour - Day 4 (Saturday, April 11, 2015)

Our Saturday began with a trip to Stone Mountain. We took a sky tram up to the top of the large marble rock where the Men of Note and Nota Dolce treated the folks at the top to a performance of their a capella pieces. We then walked to the edge of the rock and gathered together to corporately read a portion of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech, boldly proclaiming, "Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!"

Next, the students and chaperones split into smaller groups to spend a few hours of free time on the mountain and enjoy its fun attractions. Many groups opted to hike down the rocky trail to the bottom. We grabbed lunch at various places along the base of the mountain. Some groups played mini golf, others took a ride around the mountain on a train, while still others opted for longer, more adventurous hiking.

We then boarded the bus to drive downtown to the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, one of the oldest churches in Atlanta. After having a catered taco bar dinner in the parish hall, the students dressed up for their final performance. The performance space was stunning, and the students sang a powerful performance for a small audience of Atlanta-based family friends and people from the community. After the concert, as we waited for the bus to pick us up, the students broke into a joyous improv on the sidewalk outside of the church.

Just as we were about to board the bus outside the Shrine, the students were able to sing one final rendition of the Barocha-- the piece we always close concerts with, which is based on a benediction from the book of Numbers. The Shrine is active in ministry to the homeless community of Atlanta, and a man named Antonio approached Mr. McCollum and Mr. Vineyard to ask for help and prayer. Thankfully, we were able to give him a bag full of food and water, but he didn't want to have the students sing for him. After praying with and for Mr. Vineyard and Mr. Cherone, he changed his mind, saying he felt the Spirit encouraging him to let the kids sing for him. So, as we loaded the bus, the students sang for Antonio, moving him to tears. Antonio's final words to Mr. Vineyard and Mr. Cherone included, "I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink." (Matthew 25:35) It was a beautiful way for our students to live out what they've been learning in Atlanta, and the moment was brought to its fullest when Junior Kasey Bauserman ran up to Antonio to shake his hand and thank him for the opportunity to sing to him.

We made one final bus trip to Mount Vernon Baptist Church in the suburbs, where our students were greeted by eager host families from the church and carted off to their respective homes for the evening.

Please pray that our students will have a rich final day of the trip. Pray for continued safety. Pray that relationships would flourish. And Pray for Antonio, who blessed us with his words and allowed us to bless him with our song.

This carving in the side of Stone Mountain is the largest high relief sculpture in the world (beating out Mount Rushmore!).

The students gathered at the edge of Stone Mountain reading Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech

Seniors Hannah Cotton and Christina Dark with Ms Kauffman at Stone Mountain

The Bell'Arte Singers performing at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

The students singing the Barocha to close their performance at the Shrine

Atlanta Tour - Day 3 (Friday, April 10, 2015)

We began our morning with some fellowship time on the patio outside of the hotel as we waited for shuttles to bring us to our first stop for the day. Some of the students prayed in small groups for the day.

Our first destination was the Martin Luther King National Historical Site. We sang a concert outside of the visitor center. It began to rain as the students started singing, and the rumbling thunder was a beautiful reminder of the might and power of God, and it provided a moving backdrop for the performance. We then were invited to watch a brief video about the final days of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life before we walked across the street to visit his gravesite and the the reflecting pool. The students sang another brief concert in front of the grave, including an emotionally-charged rendition of one of King's favorite hymns, "Precious Lord," by the Madrigal Singers. After that performance, we visited Ebenezer Baptist Church, which King pastored with his father and where his funeral was held. The sanctuary had been restored to the way it looked on the day of his funeral service. The students had an opportunity to sit in the pews and reflect on the significance of his life and work.

Our next stop was Georgia State University, where we were led in a clinic by Dr. Deanna Joseph, GSU's director of choral activities. She was floored by the level at which the students were performing, calling them "world class," and saying that they were "better than 99.9%" of the multitudes of high school groups she has worked with in the past. She was so impressed that she asked for our performance dates so she could spread the word among the Atlanta choral community!

After our clinics, we headed to the world-famous Mary Mac's Tea Room for some INCREDIBLE southern cooking. The buffet was a bit overwhelming, and we all stuffed ourselves full of fried chicken, sweet potato sufflée, and buttery whipped potatoes. Then, we gathered our servers so that we could sing them a blessing, and the kids' boisterous rendition of "Tink of Me" drew a crowd of excited spectators from the main dining room. We were even invited to take a picture with them to hang on their "Wall of Fame" next to world famous politicians and celebrities!

Our final destination was Saint Brigid Catholic Church in the suburbs of Atlanta. Upon arrival, we used some free time for a sing-off competition. The students were divided into small groups and challenged to come up with creative renditions of "Old MacDonald" set to different musical stylings. While every group was impressive, the standouts were our "Opera" group (winners of "closest to the genre" with their Phantom of the Opera-inspired performance) and the "Classic Rock" group, which was named "most creative" and "best overall".

We finished our day with an evening performance in the gorgeous sanctuary on Saint Brigid Church. The students sang a compelling set of sacred selections for an appreciative audience of parishioners and community members, many of whom said they hoped to attend another one of our performances before we leave the area!

Please pray that we will continue to grow in their relationships with one another and with God. Pray for continued safety. Also, pray that the students and chaperones would be able to apply the lessons they've been learning about community and justice to their everyday lives.

Juniors Brooke Wadsworth and Faith Porter praying on the patio outside the hotel to begin the day

The students singing outside the visitor center at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Site

The students reflecting at the pool around MLK's gravesite

The Madrigal Singers performing an emotional rendition of "Previous Lord" at MLK's gravesite

We had a moving experience exploring the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Site.

The students had the opportunity to reflect on MLK's life and work while sitting in the pews of Ebenezer Baptist Church.

The Bell'Arte Singers working with Dr. Deanna Joseph of Georgia State University

Junior Matt Loock, Senior Micah Meadows, and Junior Elliott Smith filling up their plates (and "smiling" for the camera) at Mary Mac's Tea Room

We were invited to take a photo with the staff and Mary Mac's to hang out their Wall of Fame!

The grand champion "Classic Rock" group devising their creative plan

The "Country" group making us all laugh with their performance

The "Opera" group's Phantom of the Opera-inspired performance

The choirs singing at Saint Brigid Catholic Church

Atlanta Tour - Day 2 (Thursday, April 9, 2015)

To begin our morning, Superintendent Kempton led us in a devotional, in which he challenged the students to see their singing as a ministry. He reminded them that, "You will have the opportunity to minister to people today, and you might not even know it happened."

We then arrived at Campbell-Stone retirement community, where the students warmed up on a beautiful garden patio. It wasn't long before a crowd began to gather, and so we gladly transitioned to concert mode. While one group was singing, the other students served the residents coffee, juice, and pastries. Following the impromptu outdoor performance, we made our way inside to sing for a special group of residents who were being honored at a breakfast for their volunteer service in the community. This was a small but excited audience, and God was at work as our students sang arrangements of "oldies" that brought tears of delight to more than one face. (There was even a moment when Senior Logan Belcher's bass voice made one of the residents audibly swoon!)

Following the morning performances, we made our way back downtown for some sightseeing. After grabbing lunch at a food court, we toured the CNN studios where we explored the behind-the-scenes operation of a major television network. After leaving the CNN tower, we took a stroll through Olympic Centennial Park and sang on the sidewalk for crowds gathered in the beautiful Atlanta sun.

Next, the students had the opportunity to visit the Center for Civil and Human Rights. Ms Kauffman briefed the students on what they were about to see and encouraged them to be open to feel and understand the grief caused by oppression, and to sense God's call to recognize and celebrate his Image in every human being.

We finished our night with dinner at Ted's Montana Grill, where many of the students were brave enough to try out the house specialty of bison! We were privileged to sing a benediction to our servers (bringing yet more tears of delight to a few faces). Then, we finished the evening with devotions--the girls with Mrs. Joseph, and the guys with Mr. Vineyard and Mr. Cherone.

Please pray that the Spirit would minister to the hearts of the people we encounter, that we would have an inspiring visit to the Martin Luther King Historical Site, that our clinic and performances would bring glory to God, and that our students would take to heart what they learned at the Center for Civil and Human Rights and make choices toward justice and righteousness in both the big and the small things of everyday life.

Superintendent Kempton giving a morning devotional on the bus

The students singing an impromptu concert on the garden patio at Campbell-Stone retirement community

Sophomore Kyle Carey serving a Campbell-Stone resident some juice

The students giving hugs to our special and thankful audience of resident volunteers at Campbell-Stone

The students touring the CNN studios

A group of Bell'Arte girls (plus a few Men of Note gentlemen) getting ready to start the CNN tour

Junior Faith Porter trying her hand at being an anchor for CNN.

The students singing a sidewalk concert at Olympic Centennial Park

Crowds gathering at Centennial Park to hear the students sing.

Senior Chris Good leading the Men of Note at the Centennial Park sidewalk concert

The students gathered on the lawn outside the Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Juniors Tiffany Perry, Hannah Thiessen, Amanda Fusting, and Annaliese Wilford join Senior Chris good at an exhibit in the Center for Civil and Human Rights.

The students enjoying dinner (bison!) at Ted's Montana Grill

Atlanta Tour - Day 1 (Wednesday, April 8, 2015)

We began our journey in the most fitting of ways: with hands joined, as seniors Maddie Boerste and Logan Belcher led us in a send-off prayer. We then boarded a school bus and headed to the airport where we were met by Ms Kauffman, Mr. Vineyard, Mr. and Mrs. Kempton, and "Mama Bennett". We breezed through security and gathered at the gate for a group mixer game, in which students interviewed one another. Then, each student wrote a list of the ten students on the tour that they know the least. Their individual tasks have now become to intentionally seek out time to build relationships with those ten students.

After dinner at the terminal, we boarded our plane. We snagged the entire back third of the plane for our group, much to our delight (and to the delight of the other passengers, I'm sure!). Midway through the flight, we were treated to a lofty proposal when senior Luke Borchelt came on the loud speaker to ask senior Whitney Vandenheuvel to prom. He even had a dozen roses and boxes of her favorite candies to sweeten the offer. (She said yes!) As we made our final approach, we received a request from the passengers at the front of the plane to have our students sing for them; so, the students had the opportunity to perform "Hark! I Hear the Harps Eternal" more than five miles up in the sky.

After arriving in Georgia, we fetched our bags, hopped on a bus, and traveled to our comfy hotel in downtown Atlanta. The students are now safely in their rooms, resting up for our first full day of singing and adventure.

Please pray that God would continue to keep us safe, that our students can bravely forge new relationships with the students they've committed to know more deeply, and that their performances would bring glory to God.

Lining up to check in for our flight at BWI

Juniors Amanda Fusting and Hannah Thiessen ready to head to the gate

The students playing the mixer game at the gate

The AACS choirs at taking up the back third of the plane

Mrs. Joseph conducting as the students sing for the rest of the passengers

Seniors Luke Borchelt, Amanda Densmoor, and Hannah Holden (plus sophomore Kyle Carey, who is photobombing in the background) are smiling big because we've finally arrived in Atlanta!