I have a love-hate relationship with choir retreats. I hate preparing for them, but I love getting away from the daily grind. I love the rich fellowship with choir members. The music-making is alive and powerful. And I love how God always surprises me with his presence in a way that awakens my spirit and renews my calling. On our recent Adult Choir retreat to Caraway, I saw God at work in the lives of our adult choir members. I witnessed choir members laughing, singing songs and sharing stories around the fire pit, hiking together, enjoying the natural surroundings, and spending time catching up with each other while rocking on the back porch overlooking the lake. The food was great but our time together as a choir family around the tables was even better! We definitely got to know each other better as we played a silly game called “Two Truths and a Lie.” I cannot mention names but did you know some of our choir members danced on top of a table in Paris, played in a rock and roll band in college, did belly-dancing in a doctor’s office, and appeared in a real motion picture? We laughed so hard as we learned some really interesting things about each other! Fellowship and laughter are true gifts from God. Perhaps where I saw God at work the most however was during our devotional times and in our music making. As the choir sang, I sensed an incredible bond of love and faith expressed through their hearts and voices. At times, my heart was overflowing with love for God and this group of talented servants as I witnessed their love for each other and for their Lord and Savior. At the end of the retreat as we finished one of our favorite anthems, “Lord of the Small,” I saw the tears flowing down the faces of choir members. There was a holy hush, a flood of emotion that cannot be put into words, and a real presence of the Holy Spirit. I realized at that moment that God was at work bringing our choir family closer together, shaping our talents, healing our brokenness, and tuning our hearts! I thank God for these spiritual “away” times to refresh and refocus, to learn and grow in new ways, to spend quality time with one another, to become “family”, and most importantly to experience the powerful presence of God in unexpected ways. I love the Ardmore Adult Choir and am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this special community of faithful servants who minister through their music each and every week.
– David Fitzgerald
