The Face of Mission

The Face of Mission

What does mission look like?  If you ask me, or any member of the cathedral choir who participated in our pilgrimage, mission looks like the face of a woman name Sadie, who ran the Travelodge in Ely, England. Our first encounter with Sadie came during our nightly Compline services; we had wanted to hold the service outside, but rain forced us into the hotel lobby.  As the choir's young people gathered around to hear Scripture and pray for their loved ones back home, Sadie, barely visible behind the counter, listened. But she wasn't listening to our funny accents, she was listening to our prayers. And when the youth started in on the Lord's Prayer, Sadie closed her eyes, and with tears streaming down, joined us as she mouthed the words.

When the service ended, several of us struck up a conversation with Sadie, asking about her town, her job, her life.  Sadie's life has been one of struggle:  an estranged marriage, health issues, too many bills. That service, she told us, was the first time she had been "in church" in 25 years!  "What happened?" I asked. "Life," she replied.

During our stay Sadie went out of her way to make us feel as comfortable as possible. And on Saturday night, she (on her day off) brought her son to hear our choir sing Evensong in the cathedral's Lady Chapel. Tears of pride swelled in her eyes, tears that came from direct contact with the Spirit of God. Those same tears were present as she joined us for Morning Prayer and saw us off when we left from Ely for Edinburgh two days later. She had become part of our family, our story, our church.

For all the beautiful music that the choir provided (and believe me, it was BEAUTIFUL) many youth and adults alike pointed to Sadie and said, "This is why we are here." Mission is about making relationships and sharing God's love with those around us. Not only did we share that love with Sadie, but she, through her storytelling and attention to our needs, shared it with us. Our choir members offered glorious music with the cathedrals of Ely and Edinburgh, but their serenade of Sadie prior to a 6:30 am bus ride was, for me, the highlight of the trip.  It was as though every member of the choir understood in that moment that God was present, and that this was foretaste of the Kingdom.

We sometimes like to imagine mission on a grand scale (building houses, repairing bridges, preaching to non-believers). But more often than not mission happens in the unexpected relationships that we form. None of us will forget Sadie, and her story reminds us that the face of God is present in everyone.  We need only create the space where the music of the Spirit can be heard.

Joe Mitchell, Curate

Girls & Men rehearse in Lady Chapel for Saturday Evensong.

 

The Choirs at Ely Cathedral

Reflections from our Choristers

Today and throughout the tour, I have noticed how much I have connected to God. I reached God through the people in teh congregation adn my fellow choristers. When the choir was in Ely, I saw that in each service more people showed up to hear us sing. I feel that Mr. Balling helped bring our American choir to the UK, and impacted the people and gave a good reputation to our church, our choir and our country.
-Zach Jones

Although walking through the streets of England and Scotland was a fun part of the tour; my personal favorite part was singing in Ely Cathedral. We are so blessed to have been able to sing in such a big an dbeautiful space like Ely. I loved seeing the faces of the people who were moved and touched by our music. One thing I will take away from this tour is that even if we don't realize it, we affect people every day with our music.
-Madi Fogarty

This tour has been a great experience. I feel closer to God and the people in the choir. The cathedrals were amazing. It was interesting learning about the history of the churches.
- Tyler Jackson

This trip to England and Scotland marks my final European tour as an official member of the  CCC Girls Choir, and I could not have asked for a better time. The places we have seen, the friends we have made, and the beautiful music we have shared come together to form some of my most cherished memories. These past two weeks have been a blast, and I am sorry to see it end. Thank your to everyone for their prayers and support!
-Caroline Balling

My second trip to England, and first to Scotland was a wonderful experience. The time we spent in Lincoln in 2009 was fun, but I don't think I understood the meaning of what we were doing. This time around in Ely & Edinburgh, I believe that I have connected with others and with God in more ways than I ever have. This time, also, I was singing all of our repertoire in a new part, so I had a chance to really appreciate the music and in turn, connect with my fellow choir members and God. Mealtimes were another time that brought us together on this trip. It was a time where we could just sit and talk with new people about their experiences on the trip.
-Connor Dellarosa
p.s. Haggis is delicious!!

 A sI look back on the past week and a half, I realize how our actions have affected others. The first time we sang in Ely Cathedral and people stopped to listen, I thought "cool". Then I really thought about how our music was possibly changing their lives. The other choristers started thinkgin of this as well and soon singing was no longer just fun, but a responsiblity to God adn the people who don't know him yet. As we were doing this, we were growing more into a collective group of people working together to have fun while changing peoples lives forever. I am so proud to be a member of this choir family and really excited to sing more in the future. God has truly touched the lives of everyone on this tour and we have been given a gift to do the same to others.
-Abbie Paris

Little Ambassadors

From Peggy Sullinger, chaperone and grand parent

To all in Lexington
Greetings from Scotland.  I wanted to write a bit about my young group of girls. the youngest in our huge family.     We always break up in groups around lunch time and eat and walk around the city.  Maybe because our girls are young we have many people stopping to talk to them.  Many of the people stop us to talk and ask about the children. where are we singing, where are we from, can they stop in to hear them sing and when will they be back ? One gentleman ask them about their music and the girls we eager to talk to him about it. the man was so surprised at their knowledge of music. I have had one invitation for the choir to come to New Zealand.  A older couple came up to talk to me and said they had been to the church three nights in a row to hear the choir! The invitation was sincere. As we have traveled from town to town and church this choir has been amazing . The message of God and music go hand in hand with us and the response has been amazing.
We are like little ambassadors traveling throughout a beautiful country and it's amazing how the world responds.
Peggy Sullinger

Scotland!

Inside Ely

From the West Door

The Nave Ceiling

Looking up at the crossing, the "Lantern". most of us got to climb to the top and walk on the roof near the top stain glass. 

The Organ Facade- the organist sits underneath this-there are many many more pipes! 

This leads into the Lady Chapel

From the high altar facing West

This modern sculpture is at the west entrance. Most of us walked right by it the first time, as your eye is drawn into the cathedral. However, after having it pointed out and it's symbolism explained, I had to look everytime! The is called the "way of the cross". It is darker at the bottom and lighter on top because we have darkness and light in our journey here on earth. It is winding, because our path contains twists and turns. If you look carefully, you will see what looks like a blemish on the left side of the cross, it is a figure of person on their journey.Now, if you look, the vertical section of the cross is a 1, the first curves form a 2, then the last curves form a 3- representing the Trinity. There is a labryinth on the floor underneath this, inviting all to walk the path to God.

God's Love

July 21, 2012- Michael Naish, Boy Chorister

Imagine, an ancient Cathedral, that has housed treble, alto, tenor & bass for thousands of years.  A place where the walls and ceilings have adapted to fine music. A place that loves Christ. This place is a house of God. This place is Ely Cathedral.

The expereince that we have provided for the past week at Ely is the same we provide at CCC- the experience of God. Both Cathedrals have God in them, and can even represent different attributes of God. CCC is not huge, but somewhere for Christians to praise God. It is like the peaceful, humbler side of  God. Ely is a grand, giant fearsome space, that is just like God's fearsome and powerful side. What the two Cathedral have in common, we, the choir, can express the love of God, through music: peaceful or fearsome.

(written while in the Lady Chapel, listening to the Men & Girls rehearse for Saturday Evensong)

July 20, 2012- Robert \Hill
As you can see from this picture we are spending a lot of time in close proximity to each other.  This picture is from an excursion to a reconstructed Anglo-Saxon village that is used as a living archaeological laboratory to find out how people lived 1500 years ago.  We all crammed into one small house and set a record for the most people in this house at one time.
At times on these choir tours it can feel like we are spending all our time like this.  Privacy, such as is it, is in short supply and very precious.  This morning as the boys and girls were rehearsing I was able to take a few minutes to say morning prayer in a side chapel of Ely Cathedral before the tourists arrived.  My 15 minutes alone with God in one of the world's grandest churches felt like a guilty pleasure.
And then I realized this is exactly what God wants us to do.  It's important to minister to others.  It's equally important to spend time in community with others in a spirit of fellowship.  But if I'm not in good physical and spiritual shape I'm not going to be useful to anyone.  Those 15 minutes I spent alone with God were actually part of my mission, not a selfish pleasure.

I hope you'll take some time to yourself today as part of your mission.  As we sing evensong this afternoon at 5:30 British time (12:30 Lexington time) I invite you to join us in noon prayer or a few moments of silent prayer.  At evensong yesterday we prayed for Christ Church Cathedral in Lexington and I ask you today to pray for Holy Trinity Cathedral in Ely.  We all miss family and friends back home but can be united in prayer.

How amazing is God's grace!

July 19, 2012- by Penny Cox, chaperone

How amazing is God's grace!  Music is food for the soul!

The temperature is cool enough that we can sleep with our windows open.   Your Christ Church Cathedral choristers and chaperones are waking each morning around 6:00 a.m. to the quite peaceful sounds of birds in the field near our Travel Lodge. The daily morning ritual begins with breakfast at the Little Chef.  Since we're on day six of our journey, the wait staff know many of us by name. They greet us warmly as the Kentucky choir singing at Ely Cathedral.  The mission of outreach from Lexington is felt in this small restaurant.

The voices of choristers rehearsals brings a chill to our body as the music reverberates from the holy walls from within the Cathedral.  It is difficult to express the joy that these sounds bring to the regular parishioners and to the tourist visitors.  You can be proud of the ambassadors from our Lexington Diocese.  The imagery of the delicate English architecture and chapels are some of the most elaborate and extraordinary carvings one could see.  We are lighting a candle daily to keep our CCC congregation uplifted in prayer.

Thursday we travelled by bus to West Stow, an original AngloSaxon Village that was discovered and archeologically excavated in the late 1970's.  Rain fell continuously during the bus ride from Ely to West Stow.    We were prepared with our "wellies" to walk through the mud!  However, as the bus pulled into the drop-off spot, the sun shone through the clouds and the rain stopped.  We gave thanks to God for the sunshine. The archeological experiments at West Stow used replica building materials to reconstruct thatch-roofed buildings that took us back to a way of living 1200 years ago.  We saw crops, pigs, chickens, roosters living in the country park that gave the children a glimpse at the hardships that ancestors endeared.  I know many of you enjoy seeing the photographs that are being posted by the adult choir members.

We continued to be humbled by all the blessings that we have both received and provided during our journey to share God's message through the joy sounds of music.  Please keep us in your prayers.

Moving Closer to God by Richard Giles

As I begin writing this, the trebles are starting their warm-up exercises with Mr. Balling in the choir room here at beautiful Ely Cathedral. Their sweet tones open my mind to the realization of what we as individual and collective ministers of music bring to those we encounter here in England. Our rehearsals prepare us to share our gifts with those we meet.. That sharing allows the choirs, but more importantly, each of us individually to make that human link with those that hear us. We are sharing the texts of anthems, psalms and hymns. Beautiful words describing our faith find a direct and unforgettable path to the hearts of those we encounter.

Two occasions thus far stand out in my mind. The anthem we sang on Tuesday, a setting of the Evening Hymn Te Lucis Anterterminum by H. Balfour Gardiner is a soaring and thrilling example of a prayer for divine assistance for a safe passage through the night. During the service, I was able to see the faces of those listening. Many closed their eyes and looks of quiet tranquility were combined with broad smiles during the powerful sections of that anthem. In particular one of the clergy had tears of joy streaming from the creases of his eyes. Our voices spoke to his soul, and observing his reaction, he spoke to mine.

Yesterday at the American Cemetary and World War II Memorial, after seeing the serene and splendid memorial, we gathered in the chapel for a quiet service. At the conclusion we sang the Gloria from the Nunc Dimitis by C.V. Stanford that we had sung the night before. The stunning harmonies filled the chapel and all present were taken to place of beauty and thankfulness. The retired Marine in attendance, while standing tall and proud, found his heart moved expressed in the single tear coming to rest on his cheek.

This is why we do what we do. The choristers all, young and not so young, have the opportunity and the honor of sharing God’s love with all we encounter. Doing so, we keep all these things close in our hearts, and help us to move closer to God.

Richard Giles

After Evensong on Tuesday, down by the river

American Cemetary and Memorial

An American Choir in England by Erich Balling, Canon Musician

As I write this, the choir, chaperones, chaplain, music staff and I have returned from a memorable day that included a visit to the American War Cemetery and Memorial in Cambridge.

I was aware of cemeteries commemorating American service men and women throughout Europe but had no idea one was located in Cambridge. 

During World War II, the area around Ely and Cambridge was used extensively for RAF and US airbases due to the flatness of the land. These bases were departure points for numerous and dangerous missions as the allies fought for freedom over tyranny. Many thousands of young men never returned to their bases, being killed over the land or sea. The American War Cemetary and Memorial contains the graves of 3,812 soldiers, Red Cross workers and other military personnel. In addition, the names of 5,126 servicemen missing in action are written on a large wall outside of the chapel there. These names include Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., the older brother of President John F. Kennedy and Glen Miller, the famed big band musician. 

The beauty and solemnity of this memorial is astounding and appropriate. Our guide was British. In addition, we met the Commander of all US foreign cemetaries (quite by chance) during our visit.

Following an interpretive talk by our guide about the history and purpose of the cemetary, we gathered in the chapel for a service led by choir chaplain Joe Mitchell. Joe read a portion of the burial office and together we recited Psalm 23 from memory. Following that, the choir sang the end of the Nunc Dimittis in B flat by noted British composer, Charles Stanford. It was truly some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard. God was present in that sacred space. To see the faees of the workers, visitors and the Commander who all attended the service was an encounter with Grace and a deep reminder of God's great gift of faith.

Cross of Nails

Inside Coventry before the service

Sunday July 15-Coventry & Stratford upon Avon

Sunday, 15 July, 2012- by Robert Hill, Men's Choir

After a long, tiring, and safe journey to England we have had the privilege of playing tourist for a few days before starting our residence in Ely on Monday.  After our separate flight groups met up at Heathrow we went to Woburn Abbey, a grand house built on the site of a former Cistercian monastery, and then checked into our hotel in Northampton.  Today (Sunday) we attended worship at Coventry Cathedral in the morning and visited Stratford-on-Avon in the afternoon.  Britain is always full of tourists in the summer, this year more so than ever with the Olympics and the Royal Jubilee, and it’s a delight to be part of such an exciting time in the UK’s history.

This morning’s worship experience in Coventry Cathedral was an especially moving time for all of us.  As most of you know, the Cathedral was almost destroyed by German firebombs in 1940 and then was rebuilt to be a symbol of reconciliation after the war.  What I did not know until today was that the “old” cathedral was not replaced by the “new”; rather the existing cathedral was expanded to include a new building.  The old cathedral, complete with high altar and cathedra (the bishop’s chair), still stands without roof, window, or walls, and is still used for worship every Friday.  Behind the altar in the old part of the cathedral are the words “FATHER FORGIVE” which are all the more poignant for the word that is missing.  It does not say “forgive the Germans” or even “forgive us;” it just says “forgive.”  Forgive us all for our sins of war, for destroying God’s creation, for hatred of each other.  This cathedral stands open to the elements, the old bell tower standing as a beacon of forgiveness and grace to a broken and grieving world.

On this, my third tour with the choirs of Christ Church Cathedral, Coventry’s open cathedral reminds me that our mission here is to expand the walls of our church in Lexington to include the entire world.  Britain’s tourists flock to her majestic Cathedrals but most visitors only experience these cathedrals as they would any beautiful building or museum.  Many seem unaware that the buildings they are walking through with camera in hand are active churches, yet every afternoon when we rehearse before Evensong a hush goes over the tourists and their faces light up as soon as we start to sing.  The hubbub of people speaking every language on earth goes quiet as people strain to hear songs of praise and thanksgiving to God, and people stop looking at the building and start looking at the church.  Just like at Pentecost when everyone heard each other in his own language, music coming from a Kentucky church (expanded to include England) is able to reach people of all nations.

After you read this I hope you will close your eyes, imagine yourself standing in our beautiful Kentucky church, and know that it is now reaching across the oceans.

Christ Church Cathedral Choirs depart Friday July 13 to sing for one week in Ely Cathedral as the Choir in residence and then three days at St. Mary's Cathedral,(Episcopal) in Edinburgh, Scotland.

We are taking a group of about 60: choristers, staff and chaperones!

Watch this space for updates!