Posted April 27, 2016 by
Tags: Student Activities My Wheaton
Building a Loving Community Through Gospel Music
The first day of freshman year, I hurried through my math competency exam in time to catch the final five minutes of Gospel Choir’s open rehearsal. I ended up dancing in the middle of the circle to stomping, clapping, and shouting. Once rehearsal disassembled, the choir’s director Tanya Egler called me over to the piano. After singing “How Great is Our God” together for a few minutes, she invited me to her church, and I knew this group was my new home.
Three years later, the Gospel Choir family still contains my best friends, is my primary ministry outlet, and provides me with endless opportunities and reasons to worship God. I had the privilege to serve as Co-Business Manager on Gospel Choir Cabinet last year and am finishing this year as the choir’s Vice President. Between scheduling off-campus concerts and handling thousands of dollars, being on Gospel Choir Cabinet has been a definite challenge, but it has furnished more than its share of reward.
My experiences with Gospel Choir have challenged my approach to teamwork, expanded my social networks, opened up the city of Chicago to me, and have made me feel like I’m a part of Wheaton College. Gospel Choir has also taken me to California, North Carolina, Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago, John P. Kee’s church stage, the Gospel Music Workshop of America, and an astounding variety of other churches and ministries. At the end of next year, we are heading to South Korea on tour.
If you walk into the Office of Multicultural Development and look to your left, you will see these words posted above a desk: “Wheaton College Gospel Choir is a diverse group that exists to glorify God by building a loving community that ministers to others through gospel music.” That’s the heart of what we do, and our four core values – ministry, diversity, family, and music – say it all.
Erin McCord '17 is a community artmajor with an urban studies minor. To learn more about Wheaton's Gospel Choir, visit their website.
Photo Captions: Gospel Choir cabinet jumps for joy; Erin sings in Gospel Choir's 2016 spring concert; members of Gospel Choir pose after the spring concert.