Choir again

Today was the Celebration Service for the 300th anniversary of Charles Wesley's birthday. I sang in a 150 voice choir from several area Methodist churches. We had a real orchestra, plus their incredible pipe organ and the piano. It was so much fun to sing in a big choir like that.

I loved the hymns we sang: "O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing," "Praise the Lord Who Reigns Above," "Sing with Glad Anticipation," "Rejoice, the Lord is King," "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling," "Thankful for our Ev'ry Blessing," "A Charge to Keep I Have," "The Vigilance Our Lord Demands," "Jesus, Lover of my Soul," and "And Can it Be?" (which is maybe my favorite hymn).

It's very different from singing in the choir at the Anglican church. I was always so conscious of getting my vowels to sound like the Britishers in the choir. The directors were very patient with me. But here, it's very different. There are more people, for one thing, but I think that there are also people from all over the country, and Elliot has trouble getting all of us to use the same vowel sounds. It's nice for me, in a way, because I don't feel so out of place, but in another way it's harder because I'm sometimes not sure of what vowel sounds to use.

The girls tease me because now when I say the Our Father, I say "trespasses" like a British person. I'm not even sure how I say it, or how I used to say it. Oh well. I'm happy that some of that wonderful church in Luxembourg has stayed with me.