Thursday, for all intents and purposes, was a "rest day" for me at General Assembly. At least, in the sense that I didn't have to run or participate in a rehearsal all day. Instead, I got to savor my day at GA. I attended workshops on getting UUs to "cross the road" (participate in social justice activities) and leveraging technology in music. I took in some of the business side of GA as a delegate for my congregation. I also had dinner with my friend Saffron, who moved to Portland from Tennessee about a year ago. It was so good to have an evening away from the convention center! I wrapped up my evening listening to the combined choirs of First UU Portland. It was an excellent program as they prepare to go on an international tour. Their church has four adult choirs, plus handbell and children's groups. What an amazing musical community!
Friday was the most inspiring and exhausting day at GA. We woke up to news of the Supreme Court upholding marriage equality - an event so many among us had fought most of their lives for. There was much celebration! I got to sing on the main stage during the Synergy (bridging) worship on Friday evening, so there was a rehearsal with the GA band earlier in the day. Then I lead the music rehearsal for our Young Adult worship - Yuri and Matt were back as our instrumentalists and our vocalists were joined by three members of One Human Family Choir. Wow, what powerful vocals we had!
This is where I need to have a little tangent. When Amanda and I selected music for our two Young Adult worship services, we chose mostly hymns for the first worship (easier to pull together in a quick time frame, since it was Day 1 of the conference) and mostly popular songs for the second worship (premise being that we would have more time to rehearse). As it turned out, the only rehearsal time we had for the second worship was squeezed into 90 minutes on Friday afternoon. I took a look at the music, the rehearsal time, and the musicians we had available ... and brainstormed some arrangements on the flight to Portland. But goodness, was I still nervous. As it turns out, working with talented musicians is pretty great. We made quick work of the pieces, divided up solo lines, made up our own harmonies, and coordinated accompaniment.
We also led a workshop on creating worship for young adults. Along with Amanda, Derrick, and Jim, we shared a few ideas and then let the participants create their own worship. It was a create session with some really good discussion!
Friday was also Amanda's big day on the GA stage. She and a colleague (Kenny Wiley) presented a GA Talk on Black Lives Matter. I sat awestruck that this woman I have known for 6 years, who was afraid of microphones when we first met, commanding the stage with passion and vibrance. It set me on a course for the rest of the week... that you'll have to wait until my next post to hear more about.
Then it was Friday night. First, I got to sing with GA Music Coordinator Susan Peck, Amanda, and an incredible vocalist named Lauren Steele on the main stage to open up the Synergy bridging service. What a treat to be able to honor youth transitioning to Young Adults in our faith.
Photo by Jake Morrill
Afterward, we hosted a worship service to officially welcome the new Young Adults into our community, complete with cake. Those songs that I worried so much about? There were a few mistakes, but it absolutely didn't matter -- nearly everyone in the room was singing along! Our song choices were spot on. My favorite moment of the day was singing the opening line to "Unwritten" (by Natasha Bedingfield) and the entire room lighting up and singing along. It was a touching moment, to feel that connected to the young adult community gathered. I felt called and inspired to music ministry all over again.
Adding to the themes from this experience: celebration, inspiration, perspiration
Next up: Saturday - Sunday. You'd never guess how this story ends!
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