The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

THIS Sunday, the Christ the King Contemporary Gospel Chorale will celebrate five years of ministry with a concert under the theme “A Celebration of Psalms”.

The annual spring concert will kick off at 7pm at the Christ the King Parish Hall, Ridgeland Park West, and will feature an evening of contemporary gospel and traditional music, all inspired by the Psalms.

Psalmist Shenecia Williams is expected to host the event, inviting to the stage performers Jonathan Farrington, the Golden Gate Hand Bell Ministry under the direction of Navaro Gibson, Norma Ashe, Bahamas 242 winner Anna Calixte, Sheniqua Ferguson-Moss and others. Special guest directors will include Patricia Bazaard, Pastor Trent Davis, Kaylen Jervis and Pam Woods.

Chorale member and organiser Odia Richardson said the initial idea to start the group came about due to a growing need and desire for the youth and young adults to become more active in the choir ministry of the church.

“Prior to the chorale there was no youth choir or even a children’s choir that youth and young people could be a part of. As the parish’s youth director at the time, I made that a part of my mandate to establish something that young people and youthful people could be a part of. Hence, the idea for the chorale. We began with 17 members and have maintained that number to date,” said Ms Richardson.

The choir is under the direction of Minister Claytino Delaney, youth pastor of Mount Pleasant Green Baptist Church, who is assisted by Ricardo Knowles, member of Zion Baptist Church on East and Shirley Streets.

Ms Richardson said both men bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the choir and have been tremendous assets to the continuous development of the music ministry within the Christ the King Anglican Church.

“Our choir is a gospel choir in nature, so we are in a sense ministers of the gospel for Jesus Christ. This ministry is important because it provides us with the opportunity to be vehicles of change to the body of Christ and we see this as our mission,” she said.

In addition to the choir, Ms Richardson said they have also invited other choirs and singers in ministry to share in the concert yearly.

Past guests have included Shaback, the Holy Cross Praise Team, Church of God Youth Praise Team, the Anglican Diocesan Youth Chorale, St Barnabas Liturgical Dancers and others.

“This is our fourth choir concert,” Ms Richardson explained. “We didn’t have one last year, but we have had an annual spring concert since the choir’s inception. Our last concert was under the patronage of Bishop Laish Boyd and Joanna Boyd, so we were ecstatic that they agreed to be our patrons once again. Bishop Boyd has and continues to be one of our biggest supporters within the diocese. It is an honour to be able to put on this event for our fifth year especially, and we join in the celebration with our larger parish which celebrates 50 years this year.”

Ms Richardson said her main hope for Sunday’s event is that the Bahamian Christian community sees that contemporary gospel music is not restricted to one denomination or one group of people. She would like patrons to see the different variations in which the Psalms can be presented and sung, and for people to see how Christians form across denominations can unite and do great things when working together.

With the chorale marking five years of ministry, Ms Richardson said they also want to use this as an opportunity to bring about hope and change in people’s lives within the ministry itself.

In keeping the movement going, she said, the intention is to hold a spring concert annually and mini concerts throughout the year.