Barstow choir serves, sings and sees California sights

BARSTOW • The First Baptist Church is welcoming back its youth.

First Baptist’s Chi Alpha Singers returned from a 9-day mission tour Monday. The group performed around Northern California, helped a church in Tuolumne and got some sightseeing done along the way. The choir and service group is wrapping up the trip with a concert at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the First Baptist Church.

The group is comprised of 27 kids from seventh grade to 12th grade. The children had to take leadership classes and learn how to teach Bible school lessons to others in order to participate in the trip, according to choir leader and associate pastor Jerry Green.
Green said a key reason for the trip was to help kids focus on other peoples’ needs.

“It’s a good experience for the kids,” Green said. “Usually the kids in the church are used to being served by the adults. This is a chance for them to serve other people. It helps them get their eyes off themselves, which is something we’re all guilty of, and realize how important it is to help.”

The choir began their journey on June 20 in Tuolumne where the group worked together to teach vacation bible school to other kids. Green said the group incorporated music and bible lessons in to the teaching. The choir will make use of the teaching experience when they head the vacation bible school at the First Baptist Church in August.

The choir also got a chance to perform their program “Stand and Shout” at Tuolumne’s Lumberjack Jubilee and at a nearby children’s camp. The group also sang in Cupertino.

“The concerts were great,” Green said. “It was a little interesting playing at the Lumberjack Jubilee because there was a mixture of church people and people that were at the festival that had been drinking. Everyone seemed to like the music and had a good time though.”

The kids also got a chance to see Yosemite National Park and San Francisco during the tour.

Green has been leading the choir on tour for 21 years and the group has been everywhere from Washington D.C. to Idaho. Green said it is important for kids to be exposed to a variety of places.

“The service is important, but it’s also good for the kids to have fun,” Green said. “We always go out and see the beauty around where we tour. A lot of the kids and adults had never seen Yosemite before. Letting the kids see the sights of America is a huge part of the tour. It’s good to expand their knowledge and let them see the blessing of being an American.”

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4126 or dheldreth@desertdispatch.com

Chi Alpha Singers
6 p.m. Wednesday
First Baptist Church Worship Center ,1320 Barstow Road
Open to the public