Closing Sunday

{Bitter}Sweet Sunday

And it finally arrived. Sunday. The last day. The end of the week. The culmination of hours of work. The completion of a journey.

After the All-Staters were up late reminiscing the night away with their lifelong friends, the sunrise of Sunday morning comes all too soon. Packing up their rooms, turning in keys, and loading the bus seem exponentially harder after a busy week and little sleep. But nevertheless, the All-Staters loaded up the bus and headed toward Fayetteville and Cedar Falls Baptist Church. The church was packed to capacity with families and friends and local congregants who showed up in droves to hear and be part of the ministry of the 2016 North Carolina All-State Baptist Youth Choir. The All-Staters went through some final warm-ups and changed into their polos for worship.

If anyone wonders what I was doing during this time, I was frantically trying to finish up the final week-in-review video for the All-Staters. Video editing is long, tedious, and hard work! But that is another story entirely.

Back to the All-Staters, they led beautifully in worship as always. I think they sounded the best that they had all week!

As the All-Staters have grown to know and love, the end of the service ended with surrounding the congregation with song and dance on "Walk in the Light" and singing the signature, "Write Your Blessed Name" as a concluding benediction..

After an excellent lunch provided by Cedar Falls, the All-Staters rushed back into the Sanctuary to see the week-in-review video presentation. This is always a great time of reflection on the week, and something I always looked forward to very much as an All-Stater. The contents of the video remain somewhat of a secret as some things that happen at All-State stay at All-State. So ask an All-Stater about their experiences from the week and see what they tell you - you may be surprised, encouraged, and inspired.

We then loaded up for the final bus ride and headed to Hayes Barton Baptist Church in Raleigh. Upon arriving at our final destination, it is a long-time tradition for one last "pew nap" before the final concert. However it is always questionable whether there is more "actual napping" or more "pretend napping while I actually hangout with my new best friend for the last time." Either way, it is a time that has been treasured by All-Staters for years.

But eventually all good things must come to an end, and a final rehearsal got the All-Staters ready for the concluding concert. As the All-Staters have also grown accustomed to, Dr.Wolfe-Hill led a final "story time" before they lined up to head in for the last time. Both Dr.Wolfe-Hill and Michael shared some encouraging and inspirational words with the All-Staters during this final time.

And finally it was time for the final concert! The All-Staters really gave it their all with an inspirational final concert that was very moving to those in attendance. And following suit with the rest of the week, Dr.Wolfe-Hill encouraged the congregational to join in singing and dancing on the South African song, "Walk in the Light". This was followed by what one congregant said to me as, "the most beautiful surround sound you will ever hear" as the All-Staters were joined by at least 40 alumni to sing the signature song for the 18th year. As the All-Staters joined hands, some closed their eyes, others cried, and still other beamed brilliantly from ear to ear in perhaps the most beloved tradition of All-State.

Following the concert, tears, laughs, shouts, and hugs abounded as the All-Staters were reunited with family and friends and as they said their final goodbyes. The eleven 4-years of 2016 got their traditional picture, and the atmosphere was filled with joy. Even us alumni that traveled with the All-Staters all week had to make sure we got a picture too!

Ask any All-Stater you can find and they will tell you that this day is bitter sweet. Sweet because you are reunited with friends and family. Sweet because you have been working toward this final endpoint all week. But bitter because it marks an end. The end of the week. The last concert. And for some, the last time they can be a member of All-State as they head off toward life and college. Sweet because within this week, you have formed some of your closest relationships, but bitter because now you have to part ways with your closest friends. Sweet because you have grown immensely close to the 87 other singers with whom you have experienced so much, but bitter because this exact same group of people in these same circumstances will never be assembled again.

There is something special about singing difficult and breathtaking choral music with a large group of people as equally passionate about Jesus and music as you. There is something special about digging into the scripture behind the music and applying this meaning to your life and the lives of everyone around you. There is something special about seeing this week impact FIVE All-Staters (in this year alone!) to announce a public calling into ministry. There is something special about these people who by the end of the week have grown into a family. There is something special about this ministry that has helped shape me and countless other All-Staters into the person I am today. There is just something special about All-State.

This is All-State.


Signing off for 2016 - Your Faithful All-State Blogger,

Carter