Sing like you mean it

The Dunamis Gospel Choir came to my church last Sunday night.

As I walked into the building – slightly on the late side – my ears were embraced by the sound of young, tender voices.

That didn’t last long, because the chorus suddenly kicked in and the volume skyrocketed. The stage was filled with young, smiling faces; faces that were singing their hearts out.

Song after song graced the place, with completely different vocal arrangements for each. There were solos and a cappella harmonies galore. These kids could sing and they weren’t afraid to show it. There were African drum beats, scintillating saxophone notes and delicate flute twiddles (sorry, I don’t know the technical term).

Then all of a sudden, the choir members filed off the stage and sat down! I was gutted…

But it wasn’t over – they were just clearing the stage for a dance performance. Now I already knew these kids could sing, but I had no idea they were about to wow us with their moves too. Suffice to say they pulled it off.

Another musical selection followed, with a powerful sketch and some great poems thrown in for good measure.

But it was the final section that really blew my mind. Several of the songs literally gave me shivers up my spine; not only were they talented, these kids’ voices (and instruments) were powerfully anointed.

I should add that throughout the performance, members of the choir took it in turns to share a bit about their past and the difference the choir, its founder Daniel (‘Pastor D’) and getting to know Jesus had made in their lives.

Among them were ex-gang members, kids who had been badly treated by parents, and young people who had had substance abuse problems – some of them were as young as 12.

At the beginning I assumed they were all from Christian homes, or had at least become Christians before they joined the choir. But as the evening wore on (or glided by, more accurately), it became clear that this was an ongoing work.

These kids didn’t give polished ‘testimonies’; their stories were raw and from the heart. They were genuine, and they made me cry. In fact, they made most of the audience cry… and they even made each other cry. It was beautiful to see how much they rejoiced in each other’s victories and turnarounds.

Pastor D had clearly selected a group of kids who had basic musical talent and who needed to be part of something that was bigger than their own lives; to give them something to work towards and develop into; a family where older guys lovingly embraced younger guys and girls stood hand in hand rather than backbiting and tearing each other down.

The genius of his vision is that by including them regardless of their beliefs, this choir is transforming people’s hearts from the inside out. Indeed two of the choir members had come to Christ in the two or three days leading up to the event and another that very night. (I actually heard since writing this from Pastor D that this figure is closer to seven!)

I’ve never, and I mean never, seen kids who were happier and more fulfilled than these rough-around-the-edges teens from East London.

I’m not going to say every note was perfect, that each changeover was absolutely seamless or that the words spoken were breathtakingly eloquent. I will say, though, that I was moved beyond all expectation by the work that was being done in their lives, and by the way it was spilling over into the lives of others.

As they spoke out what God had done in their lives, they reaffirmed to themselves what they believed. They encouraged their friends and fellow choir members. And they blessed everyone in the building’s socks off. I just wish all Christians were as beautifully honest and open to the Holy Spirit as they were.

Mark my words, these kids will be at the helm of a new generation of great preachers, singers and performers. The legacy Pastor D is creating will be far-reaching and impossible to quench.

Acts 1:8: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Read more from Joy in the next issue of Liberti magazine.