Chip Colee, minister of music at First Baptist Church, Decatur, never dreamed that attending a service for his wife’s former music minister at a Georgia church would have such a big impact on his ministry. But participating in that service gave him the idea to invite all former youth choir members and the four previous ministers of music back to the church for a youth choir reunion.
More than 180 people returned to Decatur from across the United States Dec. 28–29 for this weekend event. Saturday was spent getting reacquainted and rehearsing for a music presentation for the church service the following morning. They formed a reunion choir of people who had participated in youth choir from 1958 to the present, with ages spanning from retirees to high schoolers.
All four former ministers of music attended and, along with Colee, selected pieces, rehearsed and led various parts of the worship service. Each music minister chose music from their era at the church. “We moved through time,” Colee said. The pieces included “Ye Shall Be Witnesses,” “Irish Blessing,” “You Shall Know the Truth,” “Wings of the Dawn” and “Come, Follow Me.”
Harry Cowan, the church’s first full-time minister of music who served from 1958 to 1965, came from his home in New Orleans. “It was quite exciting to see people from the original youth choir who came back from all over the country,” Cowan said. “For the most part I was able to recognize them. We enjoyed catching up and reminiscing over old times.”
Colee said it made an impact on him and others to see the group that gathered. “It was meaningful to see families with different generations represented who had served in different youth choirs,” Colee said. “We also recognized those who are in full-time ministry. From a Kingdom standpoint, it was significant for the music ministers to see the influence they had on their youth choir members. I encouraged the current high school choir to enjoy the experience now and see where it could lead them in the future.”
Bob Lewis and his family moved to Decatur from Jackson, Miss., in 1965 when he was a junior in high school. “I really didn’t want to move from the place I had been born and raised,” he said. “Attending First Baptist, Decatur, and being involved in youth choir really helped make the transition positive.”
Although Lewis was only at the church and involved in the choir for two years before leaving for college, he said this was a crucial time in his life. “These were very formative years for me,” Lewis said. “I surrendered to ministry there and was licensed in this church.”
Lewis, who is now pastor of Lakeside Baptist Church in Richmond, Va., said his experience in youth choir helped teach him to make music an important part of ministry. “We used music as a vehicle to do ministry. Every summer we would take missions trips and do Vacation Bible Schools as well as perform concerts. Wilson [Henderson] helped us to see that music is not just something to be performed but how important it is in ministry,” he said.
John Sherman and his wife, Donna, both grew up attending First, Decatur, and participated in choir as children under Cowan and as youth under music minister Wilson Henderson. They made the trip back to Decatur from Arkansas with their two grown children to attend the reunion. “The experience of singing with that many people dedicated to vocal music was tremendous,” Sherman said. “My son put it best when he said, ‘It was a sound you normally have to pay to hear.’”
Although he agreed the musical performance was outstanding, that was not what excited Colee the most. “The greatest thrill for me was to see the encouragement and joy it brought to the former music ministers,” Colee said. “I understand what it’s like to pour yourself into others and these ministers were able to see part of what they had left in those people. They were touched and moved by this experience.”
Ron Madison, who was pastor of First, Decatur, from 1983 to 1992 and now works at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, attended the reunion. “It was a chance to renew friendships and see the wonderful legacy the church has passed on,” he said. “To have all of the former ministers of music attend and the fact that they were all in a position to come back says a great deal about the health of the church.” Madison said participating in worship led by the reunion choir was powerful. “I was weeping with joy watching all of them,” he said. “It reminded me of the continuity of the body of Christ.”
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