This is one of a set of blog entries inspired by the 2014 tour of the Living Proof Youth Choir (LPYC) of Christ UMC in Plano, Texas. It isn’t meant to be a summary of the tour, but a set of reflections prompted by events on the trip.
Imagine you’re trying to rebuild your life from scratch. You’re a guest (client) at Breakthrough Ministries in Chicago. They’ve helped you find a job and provided room and board to help your transition to living on your own again. It is hard work pulling yourself back together, but you carry a song with you.
Order my steps in your Word, dear Lord,
Lead me guide me every day
Send your anointing, Father, I pray
Order my steps in your word
Imagine you’ve just eaten a breakfast cooked by a youth choir from Texas and now they’re lining up to sing. Their first song? Order My Steps. It is a word from God.
For Linda at Breakthrough Ministries in Chicago, there’s nothing to imagine. It happened.
Breakthrough Ministries serves the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago. It’s not far from the Austin neighborhood and New Kingdom Church. Breakthrough has a variety of programs that provide men and women with the tools to make a new start. They help them find jobs, provide transitional housing, medical and mental health services, assistance in finding housing, all with the goal of enabling their guests to become self-sufficient. They also provide after school programs for youth, pre-K education, and a food pantry. Be sure to watch the video on the Breakthrough Ministries web site.
The Seniors got up early on Wednesday and Thursday mornings to cook breakfast for the guests. The rest of the choir joined them and we sang as the guests ate and got ready to start their days. We visited the men’s facility on Wednesday and the women’s on Thursday. We weren’t sure what to expect. We were told that sometimes the guests in the women’s facility were coming out of abusive relationships and weren’t ready to open up to strangers. Once we got there, I felt like we were back in New Kingdom Church.
We met Linda at the women’s facility. I was recording a video of the singing and saw Linda singing along to every word of Order My Steps. She would lift her hands, stop to wipe her eyes, then lift her hands again. The choir had a chance to visit with her later and she shared her story.
We met Sylvester at the men’s facility. He’s part of a musical trio made up of Breakthrough guests, The Breakthrough Trio. The other two guys weren’t there, but he sang “To God Be the Glory” for us. Another guest at the same table wasn’t about to be outdone and sang “He is My All in All”.
This choir is used to presenting music to people. They’re used to people who appreciate the music’s beauty. They’re used to people who enjoy their commitment to singing.
They’re not used to music as common ground. They’re not used to meeting people who have been given something to hang onto, those times when there is no difference between music and prayer.
This is a link to a video of the entire tour. You’ll see Sylvester standing and clapping at the men’s facility. You’ll see Linda singing and wiping her eyes at the women’s facility. You’ll see some in our choir stop to wipe their eyes. One of the voiceover messages says it best: “Sometimes all a person needs is the right words, at the right time, sung with the right amount of love.” We are blessed so that we may be a blessing.
That was Chicago. It formed the axis about which this tour turned. Amy Krouse Rosenthal said, “What you seek, you will find. What you summon, will find you.” What we found and what found us were far more wonderful than anything we could have imagined. We beckoned lovely and made the most of our time here.
The Feral Deacon 