They Dreamed of Choir
Written by Hannah Phillips of the Open Worship Community Krystal looked around the sunlit room at the fifteen or so people seated in our awkward circle. “I just want to thank you all so much for coming,” she said sincerely. “This choir has been a dream of mine for so long, but you can’t have a choir without people to sing in it. So thank you.”
When Krystal had first mentioned her Open Choir dream to me in passing last fall, I immediately thought of someone else I knew with a similar dream: My then-boyfriend (now fiancé), Max. For almost as long as I’ve known him, Max, who studies instrumental music education but has a passion for choral music as well, has dreamed of starting a community singing group in Denton. Naturally, I told Krystal I knew a guy. She texted him almost immediately and a few days later, they met for coffee to discuss the idea.
I got home after their coffee date to find him on the couch with about a million tabs open on his laptop, scouring the internet for progressive Christian choral arrangements this group he was now co-directing could possibly perform during our worship services. I took a deep breath and plunged into the search beside him. There was no turning back.
Which is how we all came to be gathered in Room 330 on the afternoon of Sunday, November 17th. Max was on edge the whole afternoon worrying that people wouldn’t come, but come they did. We sat in a circle of chairs which had to be expanded several times as folks arrived. It was a diverse group on its face, but as we went around the circle introducing ourselves, it became clear just how diverse we really were: some of us were currently singing in choirs at UNT, some hadn’t been in a choir in years, some had never sung in a group, and some couldn’t read music. But we were prepared to do whatever it took to make sure that anyone who wanted to be included would be able to add their voice.
Towards the end of the introductions, our friend Alan walked in. He apologized for being late and said that he had been struggling with whether or not he should come to rehearsal, because he knew he would both regret going and regret not going. In the end, Alan, who said he hadn’t sung in a choir in about 50 years, told us that he’d decided to regret going. But I don’t think he did regret that decision, because he kept coming back. And on December 8th, he snuck onto the Flinn Hall stage with us for our first performance as Jonathan prayed. When the congregation opened their eyes at the end of the prayer, the Open Choir was standing there as if by magic. But it wasn’t magic; it was the hard work and courage of everyone on that stage.
When Jonathan introduced us, he explained that “We’ve been dreaming about having a choir for a long time here.” I assumed that by “we” he mostly meant him and Krystal, but when we finished our performance of “When God is a Child,” there was a brief moment of silence. And then, from the back of the room, someone shouted “AMEN!” and the hall rang with applause.
That’s when I knew that this wasn’t just Krystal’s dream, or Jonathan’s dream, or even Max’s dream. This dream was bigger than all of us.
I can’t say with any certainty whether or not I believe that God is acting out concrete “plans” for us. But I do believe, with all my heart, that God has dreams for us. And when our dreams align with God’s dreams for us, beautiful things happen. Like music. Like art. Like epiphanies. And like communities where all, truly, are welcome.
Interested in joining the Open Choir? Email Max.Mollenkamp@gmail.com—or keep an eye out for upcoming rehearsals on Facebook and in the Open Newsletter. No matter who you are or what your background in music is, we would love to include you in this precious dream.
