The Jubilate Steering Committee and I met before the Activities Fair and classes began. Sadly, we only had eight returning, but thankfully we have doubled our ranks to 16 members. Compared to the years when most of you were in Jubilate, this sounds really low. But I am thankful for the enthusiasm of the returnees and the new members. We have a 2nd year from Ghana, a transfer from Sweden, and a grad student from China. We have three tenors, four basses, six sopranos, and three altos. We also have two who have never seen musical notation, and I am meeting with them 30 minutes each week to help them become music readers. We also have two uncertain singers, and I am also meeting with them 30 minutes a week. They are progressing and will be good singers and contributors to Jubilate. But most important, they will be able sing when they leave Jubilate. I hope I am creating choir members for churches in the future.
I’ve just come from a meeting with a group from the Virginia Cooperative Baptist; we met to plan a Virginia-wide Youth meeting here at UBC in January. For their last service, they will join the congregation of UBC. Jubilate will be an important part of that service. We will be singing “You Say” by Lauren Daigle, a song that assures all that God loves and accepts all. A large part of the focus for the conference will be affirming each individual’s self-worth and God’s love for them. I hope and pray that Jubilate will help this conference end on a positive note. I also hope that this will be a great introduction to potential Jubos who might attend UVA in the future!!
I have been coming to the conclusion over the past five to 10 years that the students coming to UVA for the most part either do not come from a faith background or do not want to associate with a religious group. After many conversations with other ministers in C’ville, I realize we are not alone in this. There are some worship groups on grounds that seem to be going well, but even their numbers are beginning to trend downward. I tell you this as a prayer request for Jubilate and for other faith-based groups on grounds.
We will present a Variety Show on October 18 and 20. This will be our first singing outing, so prayers are appreciated. We are headed to Clearwater, Florida, on tour to work with Habitat for Humanity. I’ll try to send out more information about that.
Thank you for your prayers and continued support!
Soli deo gloria!
