Touring with the choir in England was a surprisingly moving experience for me. Watching God work through the voices of the choir and building relationships with others caused the spirit to stir within me. During evening compline, Dean Wade would ask, "Where did you see God today?" The kids would talk about people they met, friends helping each other, solos -- moments of God's gifts each day. So I asked myself, "Where did I see God?"
Taking part in services at York Minster -- the music, the smells, and the sermon -- all came together to move me to tears. This would be the norm for the next ten days. Almost always it was a particular song that brought me to this point. After the services as we walked through the streets, my son Alden, a chorister, would say, "I knew you would like that song the best." Talking with others I realized I was not the only one having this experience. On a daily basis people would stop and ask if we were the choir singing at the Minster. One evening, while walking down a back alley, miles from the cathedral, a young man stepped out of his apartment, out of breath from running down steps. As it turns out, he was from Cincinnati and he wanted to thank us for Evensong. He said he planned to attend the next evening as well.
It was times like this that I saw the Holy Spirit working, both in me personally, as well as through us as a group. This was evident in the people I met in the places we visited and also as I sat through services talking to those who came to worship. Their stories seemed more than just coincidence.
James Beers
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