Baptist All-State Choir and Orchestra begins preparation for inaugural year in 2006

Music and Worship Ministries of the Georgia Baptist Convention will be organizing its first All-State youth choir next summer at Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon. The formation of the group at BPC will be followed by a five-day mission trip to Washington D.C. and the surrounding area.

Keith Chandler, consultant with Music and Worship Ministries and the choir’s coordinator, said the choir’s purpose will be highly evangelical in nature.

“Our priority is to present the love of Christ through musical witness to those who are without Christ,” he commented. “It is our privilege to partner with local churches to spread the Good News.

“Baptist All State will be a 200-plus-strong auditioned choir and orchestra made up of some of the finest Christian young men and women in Georgia.”

Music and Worship Ministries Specialist Jon Duncan will direct the choir. Prior to his arrival at the GBC, Duncan had launched a similar missions effort in Oklahoma. Glenn Eernisse, music department chair for Brewton-Parker College, will lead the orchestra.

Auditions for the choir will be held on weekends in September and October. More than a hundred students auditioned at Youth Music Camp this past summer.

All-State will take the place of Youth II Music Camp June 18-25 at BPC. The first two days will consist of rehearsals and witness training before the group leaves June 20 for Washington. The approximate cost of the trip is $900 per student. Sponsors seeking to go with the group will be responsible for the majority of the cost as well.

While in Washington, members will sing in areas such as churches, market settings, prisons, shelters and tourist sites. Working in cooperation with local churches, choir members will provide concerts and personal witnessing in settings like the Pentagon and Inner Harbor in Baltimore.

For more information on the Baptist All-State Choir and Orchestra, contact Keith Chandler at (800) RING-GBC ext. 261, email kchandler@gabaptist.org or go online at mw.gabaptist.org.

Audition Locations and Dates for Baptist All-State Choir 2006