Choirs

Valley Gospel Singers

The Valley Gospel Singers sing at the church worship service the first Sunday of each month with an hour practice the Wednesday evening before at 7 PM. Everyone is welcome to sing with them to the Glory of God. It’s only a 2 hour a month commitment. Come ALL!

The Cherub Choir and Praise Team fill our worship services with music each Sunday. Each choir offers the opportunity for people of all ages to share their musical gifts during worship.

The Praise Team

The Praise Team’s last Sunday with Brendon Honken as our senior member was May 19^th,  2019. Brendon has been with the PT since the beginning when Jana (Peterson) Payne was the director. The first year or two after I took over, our numbers were small, but Brendon could always be counted on to be there. He has a fantastic vocal range and can hit notes in the upper register that I dare not attempt. It has been truly wonderful watching him grow into a leader within the group. Brendon would often encourage the group to stay on task at times when silliness threatened to overtake us. He was never afraid to share his heart with the group when we came together to pray. Countless times Brendon would keep the energy up during a song, by clapping, raising his hands, and just displaying his trademark smile. I thank him for his years of dedication to sharing God’s word through song as part of the Praise Team. We will surely miss him!

                May 19^th was also our last Sunday of the season, and we figured we had enough songs in our repertoire to lead the whole service. The kids chose a number of their favorites from the past year or so as a prelude, so I told my friends to be there early. It was encouraging that there are so many songs the kids like that it was hard for them to choose just four! We also did the hymns for congregational singing during the service: some were familiar to the group and some were not. Brendon chose two of his favorites for his last day, “On Eagle’s Wings” and “Shout to the Lord”, both which fit perfectly on a day where we recognized our graduating seniors. In addition, we still wanted to play one song that was exclusively PT. During one ‘listening day’ we selected the song “Greater” by MercyMe, a challenging piece with twists and turns vocally and instrumentally. The lyrics contain many a great reminder for our young people (and those not so young), such as: “Every time I fall there’ll be those that will call me a mistake, and that’s okay. Cause I hear a voice and He calls me redeemed, when others say I’ll never be enough. Greater is the one living inside of me than he who is living in the world.” One of my favorite things about working with the kids (and there are so many favorite things!) is that I get to see songs take root in their hearts. Music is something that stays with you, so I know that they will have an arsenal of Christ-centered poetry to draw upon throughout their lives, for praise, for encouragement, for strength, and for enjoyment.

                We had a great end-of-the-year party that day, too, featuring lunch at the café and a painting project with Kathy Chiglo, which was just a blast! We have one more gig at the Good Shepherd Home for their June birthday party, but then I promised the kids that I would try to leave them alone for the summer. By the time fall rolls around I will certainly be ready to welcome them back, hopefully with a few new friends in tow.

                I have to thank Pastor and the entirety of RLC for supporting and encouraging us throughout the year. These kids are absolutely incredible, and a blessing to so many. I need to thank all their parents for bringing them to extra practices and events and being flexible every Sunday during the school year.  A special thanks to the Darrs: Bruce for all the work he does with the sound and equipment, and Tina for always sweetening us up. On behalf of the Praise Team, have a blessed summer.

                                -Kristin