Promise U

Sunday night was WILD Worship's long-anticipated (at least by the leaders) presentation of Promise U, a musical that recounts God's promises through Christian history by counting up through the last 2000 years and focusing on famous followers like Martin Luther, Pocahontas, and John and Charles Wesley. After Saturday's dress rehearsal, I really wasn't sure what to expect on Sunday. A few of us stayed after the morning service to finish setting up the set while Genny worked with the sound and light crew reviewing cues. When the kids arrived, we did a complete run-through, and it was at that point that I realized they were MUCH more on their game than the day before. They stepped it up even more for the actual presentation, and I was so proud of them! Yes, there were missed cues. Yes, there were some slip-ups in the choreography. And yes, there were definitely some wrong notes. But overall, it was fabulous! Here is my top-14 list (I couldn't limit it to just 10) of favorite moments from the musical (in no particular order):

1. Brittany belting "Precious Lord" like a pro, and the choir actually staying on beat as they sang their part of that song. It was most definitely my favorite song in the musical.

2. Jaquelle realizing that the Spirit Team had mistakenly left their pompoms in the middle of the stage, not panicking, and leading the rest of the Spirit Team out to the middle to complete the next cheer like nothing was wrong. Way to go! And I was really pleased with the Spirit Team in general - they really got into the spirit (no pun intended!) of the show and seemed to really enjoy themselves.

3. Ally's excellent performance as "Valerie Dictorian." From the first time I heard this musical, I knew that Ally had to play that part. And she did it beautifully, including her solos on "O For a Thousand Tongues/Rejoice the Lord Is King."

4. "I Am With You" - Jaquelle sang her solo beautifully, and I think the choir sounded better on this song than any other. How could they not? It is a gorgeous melody and great lyrics.

5. Abigail, Seth, and Brian willing to step in at the last minute and sing one verse of "Give It Up, Get It Back" as a trio, even though none of them was entirely comfortable with the idea. They sounded fabulous! And their "Gladys Aylward" scene was awesome!

6. Jordan's willingness to come out of the choir and hold the boom mike throughout the entire musical so that the Spirit Team and the Gladys Aylward scene could be heard. He did a great job, moving so quietly that I didn't even notice him many times, and yet his "behind the scenes" role was extremely important.

7. The laughter from the congregation when Ally told Doremi Fasolati that we only sing hymns during Brother Al's sermons. Classic!

8. WILD Worship always seems to excel at sign language, and their performance on "All Who Call" was no exception. And Carilyn did beautifully on her signed solo.

9. The choreography on "Truth Is Truth" seemed to come together really well, and I especially liked Sarah, our mascot, holding up the "Truth" sign anytime we sang that word. And speaking of that song, I loved the enthusiasm the choir had in shouting "Marty! Marty! Marty!"

10. Evan coming out of his shell to play the part of Bubba Spielberger. "It's a movie, kid!" Fabulous! And what a beautiful voice he has, too!

11. Claire - who knew that girl could sing?! She did a wonderful job memorizing her many lines and taking ownership of the role of "Deejay Ann."

12. Finally getting the flip-signs right at least once during "All God's Promises," and actually having the proof!

13. The kids' excitement at the confetti canons that concluded our Finale - incredible!

14. The fabulous group of leaders that worked tirelessly to make sure all the loose ends were pulled together and the show came of without (too much of) a hitch.

15. Just having the opportunity to direct this great group of kids. Children's choir is my outlet, my ministry, and I thoroughly enjoy it, even if it does stress me out at times. It's hard to believe that I very well may have just directed my last children's choir musical, or at least my last one at Wedgwood. It's a very sad thought, so I'm going to go into denial for a while.