Judson choir members recently got a taste of England as 53 members of the Judson College Choir and their teachers spent two weeks singing and sharing the message of Christ in England, Scotland and Wales. Coaches were waiting to take the choir, also known as the Judson Singers, to London and other destinations when the singers landed at Gatwick Airport March 20.
The choir’s first stop after London was Stonehenge. The group then took a guided tour of Salisbury Cathedral and saw one of four existing copies of the Magna Carta.
Cross-country coach travel was a special treat. Spring flowers bloomed everywhere — in cottage gardens, along roadways, in round-abouts (intersections). Rambling hedgerows and dry-stone walls made the landscape resemble an embroidered coverlet. And what a thrill it was for the group to see sheep-filled meadows with baby lambs frolicking beside their mothers.
“We performed eight concerts on our journey,” said Betty Campbell, Judson professor of music. “Our students sang beautifully and shared their experience with Christ in the churches. The British Baptists
couldn’t have been better hosts.”
The Wellington church members gave the choir and tour companions a cordial welcome and served three “bring-and-share” (covered-dish) meals at the church. Tour companions stayed at a charming old Victorian hotel, while choir members stayed with host families. At the Sunday morning service, the choir gave a preview of the evening concert featuring vocal and handbell selections.
Campbell noted that the choir sings in several of the same churches on each of their visits.
“I’m inspired every time I go,” said Campbell, who began the travel tradition with her late husband, Bracey Campbell, in 1980. The choir has made the journey every three years since that first trip.
“Our students learned about the work of British Baptists (while on the trip),” Campbell explained. “The churches we visited are fervent in their faith. The members speak openly and unashamedly of their love of Christ. They are very genuine and very wonderful people. And they sing with such gusto,” she noted. “We ministered to them through our concerts and they ministered to us with their love.”
Spending Monday morning in Stratford-Upon-Avon, it was easy to become reacquainted with Shakespeare while sightseeing and making pictures, after which a long afternoon ride to Twywn, Wales, began. All were expecting a routine drive. No one anticipated getting on the wrong route, then taking a “shortcut” over a twisting mountain road that narrowed to one lane with stop-and-go traffic due to road construction, but the view was incredible. With alpine slopes and rock-filled valleys near Snowdonia National Park, it was the land of the legendary pursuits of King Arthur.
The choir was expected in Twywn at 4 p.m. They arrived two hours late, hurriedly ate, changed into concert dress and walked several blocks to historic St. Cadfan’s, an Episcopal church that dates back to the early 16th century. Without rehearsal or warmup, they sang to a standing-room-only crowd that responded warmly by singing a hymn of their own in their native Welsh. The following day made up for the difficult arrival the night before, with browsing and lunch in scenic Dolgalau. Later there was time for sightseeing in Barmouth, on Cardigan Bay, before the evening concert.
Getting to Edinburgh, Scotland, required a full day’s drive northward to the hotel just off High Street, also known as The Royal Mile.
Long known as a tourist’s paradise — a street bulging with shops, restaurants and museums — it stretches from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace (one of Scotland’s royal residences).
Crossing the Scottish border into England’s hazy Northumberland hill country, it was easy to conjure up scenes in familiar English novels.
In York the next morning, it was chilly walking from the coach park and even cooler inside the great York Minster.
After a guided cathedral tour and a concert in the north transept, the next stop was Grimsby, the fishing capital of England.
At Grimsby Baptist Church, members were waiting with hot tea and coffee. Later, they served a traditional supper of fish and chips (wrapped in newsprint).
The last weekend was spent in Leicester where the choir sang in Kirby Muxloe Free Church. When the two coaches pulled away from the church on Monday morning, Leicester friends stood waving goodbye — a scene indelibly etched in memory for all who went on the tour.
The Judson College Choir then performed at Canterbury Cathedral, site of Thomas Becket’s martyrdom and shrine and founded in 597 A.D., is the mother church of the Anglican communion for millions.
After eight concerts in 12 days, delivering a message of love and friendship through the sound of music, the choir headed home.
“Welcome to Atlanta and thank you for flying British Air,” the pilot said cheerfully when the group landed. The notice was quite usual, of course, but the announcement that followed was not.
“As we make our way to the terminal, I’d like to ask Judson College Choir to give us a sample of their singing, and please keep your seat belts securely fastened.”
All 53 choir members — some groggy from sleep or Dramamine, all tired from the eight-hour flight — looked at their director, Roger Walworth, and heard him say, simply, “Hark.”
Fastened in their seats, with voices loud and clear, they sang the early American hymn, “Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal.”
(Michael Brooks contributed)
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