REELfest giving youth statewide a new energy for exalting

Brewton-Parker College

Ben Caston, assistant professor of music at Brewton-Parker College, conducts during the combined choir and orchestra rehearsal of more than 600 youth participating in the GBC’s REELfest 2007. The event was held at Salem Baptist Church in McDonough Jan. 19-20.

MCDONOUGH — More than 600 youth and adult sponsors among 27 churches gathered at Salem Baptist Church here Jan. 19-20 for REELfest, formerly the annual Youth Choir Festival.

At the event, groups learn six anthems. Ben Caston assistant professor of music at Brewton-Parker College, served as the director/choral clinician for the groups.

“Our motivation for REELfest is to encourage ministers of music and students to have a functioning youth choir in their church,” said Keith Chandler, consultant for GBC Music and Worship Ministries. “Each group that comes to this goes home with five to six anthems.”

REELfest means Refocusing Energy on Exalting the Lord. Cheryl Dorsey, youth choir director for Whitewater Baptist Church in Oglethorpe, said a little more than a year ago a focus for her church’s youth was greatly needed.

“In December 2005 the Lord spoke to me and said it was time to start a choir. The year before we’d hired a youth director and now had about 20 youth.

“I didn’t really want to be the one starting the youth choir,” admitted Dorsey, “but I felt so strongly about it.”

Dorsey’s initial suggestion to the youth group about having a choir was met with the typical rolling of teenage eyes.

“I then read an article about REELfest and told them about it,” she said. “Within a week the attitude of the youth had changed and all of them wanted to go.

“On the first night there they were in culture shock. They’d never seen so many youth that involved in music and didn’t think they belonged. By the time we left, though, they were hooked. We took 17 that first year and 20 this year.”

The carryover from REELfest has given the youth at Whitewater a new focus, Dorsey said.

“It’s turned them onto church music in a way I could not have done,” she said. “We came back [from REELfest] and got to work. They join in with the adult choir some Sundays. Their goal is to perform at REELfest in front of everyone next year.”