IHN Sunday 6/20/2010

This was the last day of our host week. Tracy and Blake and children were visiting family overnight, but Michelle, her children, and Brittany were with us. Everyone had to get up at about 6:40 so we could leave the church at 7:00. Our experienced take-down crew (the same one that did set-up, which helps) started restoring the church to normal even before the guests were awake. The IHN truck arrived at 8:00 and was loaded in about 10 minutes. By 8:30 we were finished putting the Sunday School rooms back together. The only indication that anything had happened for a week was a large pile of sheets and towels to be laundered. The space is ready for Vacation Bible School, which starts next week.

This has been a very successful IHN Host Week. We had great food, lots of welcoming hosts, and many behind-the-scenes workers who kept things running smoothly. We get a three-month reprieve now, and get to do it all over again starting September 12. Hope to see you then!

IHN Saturday 6/19/2010

Late rising today, no need to get on the van and go to the Day Center at 7:00am. Instead, a terrific cooked breakfast was provided by Darryl Magrino and his able assistant Grace. Any kind of eggs, omelets, waffles, two kinds of sausage, fruit -- it was all there. Our guests (and the hosts!) were very appreciative.

In midafternoon Tracy and Blake and children went off to visit relatives, not to return until Sunday afternoon. Since Brittany worked Saturday until 10:00pm, that meant that only Michelle and her two children were there for dinner, along with the Evening Hosts. Great lasagna and all the trimmings tonight.

Tomorrow everyone must get up early, because we have to take them to the Day Center at 7:00am so that we can start restoring the bedrooms to Sunday School use. We've done this many times, and although each time it seems like we won't be ready in time, we always get things put back together in time for the Sunday School hour.

I think our guests have had a pleasant time with us, and I have heard some say that the food at FPC is excellent. Collectively we make quite an effort during IHN Host Week, and it shows.

One more evening, and then back to normal for us.

IHN Friday 6/18/2010

All was quiet last night after Dylan and his family returned from the ER visit.  Dylan seems back to his old self after seeing a pediatrician today and taking medication.  Julie and Daniel Thompson and family were the Evening Hosts tonight, and all the kids were playing boisterously.

When I left, dinner was heating up in the oven and everyone was preparing for a fine meal.

IHN Thursday 6/17/2010

A bit of excitement this evening -- when the families arrived from the Day Center, Dylan was running a fever. His pediatrician was called, and said to take him to the St Mary's ER. He's back at FPC now, with a prescription, and feeling better.

A quiet night otherwise. By now, our guests know their way around the church and can treat it as their home, if only temporarily. The play areas, both inside and outside, continue to be very popular, as are the showers.

I filled in as an Evening Host this evening, so I stayed for dinner. Excellent hamburgers, finished off with ice cream for dessert.

IHN Wednesday 6/16/2010

A quiet night last night, if you don't count the 2 1/2 inches of rain that fell at the church.  Thunderstorms again tonight -- I can hear the thunder as I write this.

I thought I'd include a few pictures of some of the kids that I took this evening as we were waiting for dinner to arrive.  The baby being fed by her mom Tracy is Hannah, the two children playing are Dylan and Yasmin.

Brittany is back at work today, and should return to the church sometime after 10:00 pm.

IHN Tuesday 6/15/2010

Last night was a quiet one, nothing much to report.  It hit 100 degrees in Athens today (heat index 107), so I doubt the kids will be playing outside this evening.  Dinner tonight was to be pizza.  It's Brittany's day off, so she was able to be with the other families and our hosts for dinner tonight.

IHN Monday 6/14/2010

Our first full day of IHN hosting for this rotation. A quiet night last night, nothing special to report.

This evening our third family arrived: Michelle, with her daughter Yasmin (almost five) and son Duntrae (almost two). The young children from the various families seem to play well together. Before dinner, they were playing together in the FPC nursery's play space below the Atrium. Yesterday they went outside on the new playground, but today it was still 98 degrees in the shade, really too hot for outdoor activity. They had fun indoors instead.

I left the church late tonight, after picking Brittany up from her job. She's off tomorrow, so no late night driving. Things were very quiet when I left.

IHN Sunday 6/13/2010

Today was the beginning of our Interfaith Hospitality Network host week for this rotation. We have two families tonight, and will most likely have an additional family as of Monday night. IHN's limit is three families, so we will have a full house.

Starting at 2:00 this afternoon, our set-up crew (Bill Woolbright, Roger Burbage, Emmanuel Nekongo, and me) moved all the Children's Ministry Suite classroom contents into storage, and set up all four rooms as bedrooms. Before and after photos are below.

With us tonight we have Tracy and Blake and their two children Dylan and Hannah, and Brittany and her son Zaire. All the kids are amazingly cute, and Dylan especially likes playing with all the toys in the big room and playing on our new playground.

The adults appreciate the showers in the new bathrooms near the youth area (The Pit). Not many host churches have them, and I think ours will see some use this week. When I left, everyone was sitting down to dinner. I think we're off to a good start.

When I left the church, dinner was just being served.

Canada Choir Tour, Day 8

Our week is coming to a close. We had a free day in terms of singing. We still woke up early, but instead of heading off to a concert, we headed over to Saute Moutons, a white water rapids with a flat bottom metal boat. If I told you we got wet, that would be a understatement! We were wet to the core! But it was so much fun and worth it.

We wandered through Montreal for a bit after lunch until we saw an IMAX movie in French about Vincent Van Gogh. After the movie, we saw a demonstration by a company selling Power Risers, a sort of stilt. All who got on the Power Risers had a great time! Even Tom and Adrian got on them, but once I (Adrian) went down, it took three people to help get me back up again!

As always, check out our Facebook page with more pictures of our fun and excitement!

We go home tomorrow! It has been a wonderful trip, but it is time to go home. Tomorrow, we sing at two worship services before boarding the plane and heading home. Please pray for safe travel for us as we make our way home to be with our families.

Canada Choir Tour, Day 7

Today was an awesome day! We began with our worship service, singing and praising God and mediating on the Psalms. We then headed out to a park in Montréal for some Ultimate Frisbee. It was good to run and be very, very active. Chelsie brought her violin and opened case and began playing. A couple dollars were tossed in the case, but when we were ready to leave, she had to return the money to the folks in our group who gave it!

We had lunch at a wonderful Jewish deli. It was awesome! Everyone really enjoyed the smoked meat sandwiches and fries.

We made our way over to the Norte Dame Basilique, where we visited Saturday night. On our way, we picked up an impromptu tour guide who helped us find our way through town to the Metro station. In thanks to his help, we sang a song in the middle of a market square for him and everyone around us. It feels like so long ago we toured through the Basilique watching the light show, but today, we were here to sing and share our gift of music. We watched a gospel choir perform and then sang our songs. Our young people sounded great! I got some video of the singing, so check out how awesome they sounded. We received a tour of the Basilique, including the "little chapel" with its huge bronze art behind the alter. And of course, we sang a song in there, too, just to see what it would sound like.

After dinner, Yves Fillon, one of our tour guide's friends, came and helped us understand Chocolate 101. Even though there is no bad chocolate, not all chocolate was created equal. That was a thoroughly enjoyable way to end our day!

I appreciate the folks who are following this blog. To show your support to the young people, would you please leave a brief comment? This can be as brief as saying, "Eh?" Thanks!

For more pictures from our Choir Tour, check out our Facebook page.

Canada Choir Tour, Day 6

Today we spent quite a bit of time traveling from Quebec City back to Montreal. We have left the awesome hotel and are now staying at a dorm at the College Jean-de-Brebeuf. What a system shock to go from one to the next!

On our way back to Montreal, we stopped at an elementary school and presented our music to the children in an instructional way. Since this school is primarily a Jewish school, we were asked to teach the children about the ­­­­­­"how" with our music. Tom Granum shared the different melodies, harmonies, and a bunch of other things that my musically declined self did not quite get. The kids loved the presentation and the humor with which we approached some of it.

Today, there will be no pictures accompanying this post since the wireless internet is out at the college and I cannot get my laptop with the pictures connected. I am using a computer in the college's computer lab. The keyboards are similiar enough to make the differences between English and French keyboards noticable. The letters are all in place, but none of the other characters are where they should be! I keep having to hunt for familiar and often used characters on the keyboard!

Tomorrow, we sing at one of the most famous churches in Montreal: Notre Dame Basilique! Off to practice the music!

Canada Choir Tour, Day 5

We sang to people today! We began at St. Roch Cathedral. After an eventful beginning, we sang to several people who were praying in the sanctuary. Following our concert, we headed out to Parc de la Chute-Montmorency, with its beautiful waterfall and over 400 steps up to it. We hiked and ate lunch and enjoyed a wonderful afternoon outside in God's creation!

We went to Notre Dame de la Nativité and sang to the congregation before mass. As Emily was fond of pointing out, "We sounded so good that we made three ladies cry!"

When we arrived back at our hotel, we were greeted by ten BEAUTIFUL cars! There were Lamborghinis, Ferrais, and other very expensive automobiles parked outside. When I asked the bell hop for my keys to the red Lamborghini, he did not seem happy that I asked. Oh, well. We had a relaxing afternoon and evening at our awesome hotel.

For more pictures from our Choir Tour, check out our Facebook page.

Canada Choir Tour, Day 4

In the grand scheme of things, today was the most uneventful day of our trip. We boarded a bus in the morning for Quebec City, about a three hour ride from where we were in Montreal.

About two hours into our trip, we stopped at Cathedral Trois Rivières where we sang before their noon mass. This is a large cathedral that sometimes has visitors during the day to sit and pray in their sanctuary. Today was the day when no one came in, so our audience was only God!

After lunch, we hoped back on the bus and finished our journey to Quebec City. We paused briefly to practice in a church before mass, fine tuning our French skills with some of our hymns we will be leading in worship Sunday morning.

We finally arrived at Fairmont Hotels and Resort. This place is awesome! We are staying in the lap of luxury and loving every second of it!

Our discussions in the evening continued on the liturgical year, focusing on Lent our need to repent and prepare our hearts and minds for the coming Resurrection.

For more pictures from our Choir Tour, check out our Facebook page.

Canada Choir Tour, Day 3

Today, we walked in a great darkness. More on that later, however. Our day began with our own worship service, singing Taizé music, reading Scripture, and listening for God's voice in the silence. We began our singing at a day center for senior adults who are blind. We met many fascinating people and were blessed to share our gift of music with them.

For lunch, we had the unique experience of eating in total darkness, getting the feeling of what it is like to be blind. We ate at Onoir, a restaurant that allows no light -- zero, zilch, nadda -- in the dining room. We were even asked to leave such things as cell phones, watches, and other items that might produce light, no matter how small, in a locker during our meal. Our waiter, who is blind, led us in by having us place our left hand on the left shoulder of the person in front of us and trusting that we will be led to the right place. Cutting my steak was a little tricky, as was finding what else was on my plate. At one point during the meal, I had placed my napkin over shirt so I would not spill anything on my red "Concert Dress" shirt. After having gotten my hands messy in the sauce of my meal, I went to wipe them on my napkin which was supposed to be covering the front of my shirt. Well, it was not. It had fallen, but I did not notice until too late. Yup, you guessed it: sauce down the front of my shirt! And then came the chocolate (and very messy) cake. Let's just say that I wound up wearing a little bit of my dessert on my shirt, too! Being deprived of one of your senses is difficult to adjust to, but it was a great teachable moment for both young people and adults on the trip.

In the afternoon, we went out to Oratoire St. Joseph and preformed in their "small" chapel before mass. The chapel can hold up to a thousand people, but there were much fewer in there, mostly tourists and people preparing for mass. One devout pilgrim came crawling in on her knees praying as she went. As we left, we saw two pilgrims crawling up the 400+ steps on their knees, pausing to pray on each step.

Our discussions in the evening continued on the liturgical year, focusing on Ordinary Time and our own spiritual growth.

For more pictures from our Choir Tour, check out our Facebook page.

Canada Choir Tour, Day 2

We began our day worshipping God in a Taizé style of worship, focusing our hearts and minds as to the true purpose of our trip. After breakfast, we headed over to the Mount Royal United Church of Christ where we helped to lead the musical aspect of worship. Our Celebration Singers sounded like angels! I wish you could have been there to hear it! The soloists sang out strong and the choir blended its notes wonderfully! The congregation was excited we had the opportunity to worship with them this morning. We then had lunch and games with their youth group, getting to know some new friends.

In the afternoon, because of the cold and raining afternoon, we stayed at the hotel, napping and playing in the pool, but not both at the same time. After rehearsal, we headed out to dinner at an Ethopian restaurant where we ate with our hands. (Finally, I can't get in trouble for doing that at the table!) As a sign of friendship, it is customary for someone to feed their friend, still using their hands. This made for an interesting dinner, to be sure! We closed out our dinner with a trip to Ben and Jerry's, sponsored by Bertis Downs.

Our discussions continued in the evening on the liturgical year, focusing on Christmas and what that means to us personally. A great ending to a great day on our Choir Tour!

For more pictures from our Choir Tour, check out our Facebook page.

Canada Choir Tour, Day 1

What a day it has been! We met at the church before the sun came up to begin our journey to Canada. Chris Griffin and Doris Granum graciously agreed to help get us to the airport in the church vans. After boarding the plane (only one bag was checked out of 14 people!), we were off! Several young people had never flown before, sharing their first flight with us!

When we arrived in Canada, we made our way through Customs with no problems. We traveled to the hotel where we are staying (Hotel Maritime in Montreal) for an afternoon of practice and rehearsal, then we hit the pool to relax.

Before dinner, we had our first of several devotions based on the church's lectionary calendar, beginning with Advent. Following dinner, we headed out to Notre Dame Basilique for the show "Et la Lumieré Fut" ("And Then There Was Light"), which details the construction of this amazing church.

2010 Celebration Singers Tour to Canada

A Message from the Director:

Celebration Singers (grades 6-12) will leave Saturday morning for an eight-day tour to Montreal and Quebec City. They will sing for worship services (including an English-language service celebrating the 85th anniversary of the United Church of Canada – and a French-language service with an Evangelical Baptist congregation), for tourists in several major cathedrals, basilicas and churches in Montreal and Quebec City, and for an adult “blind academy.” As if that weren’t enough of a multi-cultural experience, they will also experience the Ethiopian area of Montreal as well the Hassidic Jewish neighborhood.

Each day begins and ends with worship, and they will have other opportunities for spiritual growth. Visiting the historic churches gives them the opportunity to learn more about the Old and New Testament men and women portrayed in statues, stained-glass windows and other art media. Their musical programs will emphasize scripture-based anthems, music of the liturgical year and sharing hymns of our culture with other cultures. Fellowship and developing lasting friendships among the Celebration Singers is also important. Busy days include time for recreation and sight-seeing.

Participants for our 2010 Celebration Singers Tour to Canada include:
Youth – Evan Arrington-Tsao, Emily Cox, Addie Downs, Mary Winn Granum, Daniel Harrison, Grace Magrino, Maddy Magrino, Jordan Osborne, Elizabeth Simmons, Cameron Walters, Hannah Walters and Wesley Walters

Adults & assisting college students – Bertis Downs, Tom Granum, Cheri Griffin, Christiana Griffin, Adrian Martin, Chelsie McIver and Peggy Randolph