Madrigal Choir Tour 2017
“What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” I Corinthians 6:19 was the theme verse of the 2017 Madrigal Choir Tour.
“God revealed Himself in a mighty way,” remarked director Dr. David Brown. “We couldn’t see the big picture, but God had a great plan.”
Unexpected Plans
Three days into the tour, the MBU Sabercat bus broke down. Immediately, the tour was in danger of being cancelled, but Dr. Brown remarked, “God is doing whatever He pleases with our Madrigal choir, and we are learning to trust Him in a fresh, new way. We don’t know what God has for us tomorrow, but we do know that He can be trusted today! He has a good path for us as a Madrigal choir, and it has been wonderful watching that path unfold on this trip.”
Through the change of plans, the choir grew closer together as they daily trusted God for the next step. “The relationships and memories we made together along the way,” says Alyssa Wright, “will last a lifetime.”
Senior Caleb Gillespie remarks, “This choir has meant more to me in the past couple of years, and is continuing to take a deep root in my heart. There is nothing I can think of that I’d rather be doing than singing with this group.”
Madrigal sang at several Christian schools and churches along the East Coast singing in Indiana, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, and Illinois. Along the way, they recorded a new CD, visited Virginia Beach, drank lots of coffee, shared devotional time together, and grew as a group.
Tour Blessings
“Words cannot describe how amazing my final Madrigal choir tour was,” states Senior Russell Almand. “I was able to really connect with some of the people at the churches and got to see a group of believers pour their hearts out in ministry.” Almand was also given the unexpected opportunity to preach during the tour. “Due to our schedule changes, we were without a speaker for most of Sunday. Dr. Brown gave me the opportunity to speak in Sunday School and the evening service. It was great to have opportunities to practice what I am learning in a church setting.”
Lizzie Conrad continues this thought. “I love getting to experience a life of music ministry in such a condensed and active way,” she remarks. “Hearing life stories from my hosts, I realize more and more that God’s training for the big steps in life usually comes in teaching us the process of trust.”
Chapel Concert
Madrigal Choir presented a concert in the MBU chapel on Monday, March 27 with highlights from their tour repertoire. Selections included choral arrangements with piano and brass, a cappella pieces, small group songs, and “The Pirates of the Caribbean” performed by the handbells.
They concluded their concert with two pieces – “The Image of God,” and “Not my Own.”
Watch their MBU chapel concert below.