Making His Praise Glorious

THE CHRISTMAS OFFERING promises to be a highlight of the Christmas season for the Quail Springs family as well as the entire community.  Combining old and new, the program contains lush arrangements of beloved traditional songs and carols presented by the Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra, and more contemporary selections by the QSBC Praise Team. 

A new feature to this year’s program will be a dramatic presentation featuring Maggie and Grandpa.  Maggie is confident the gift she is taking to the nativity celebration is perfect for the Christ Child, but Grandpa is empty handed.  On the way, using the imagination of a child, Maggie takes her grandpa on a journey, visiting the scene in

THE

CHRISTMAS

OFFERING

a musical drama

will be distributed October 8.

You will receive music and a CD after you sign a committment card.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Set Construction

Monday, December 1 - 9 am - ? NEED HELP!

Tuesday, December 2 - 9 am - ? NEED HELP!

Materials & lunch provided.

Dress Rehearsals

Wednesday, December 3 - 6:30 pm - ?

Thursday, December 4 - 6:30 pm - ?

Presentations

Saturday, December 6 - 6:30 pm

Sunday, December 7 - 6:30 pm

Tear Down/Clean Up

Monday, December 8 - 9 am - ?  NEED HELP!

Guess what?  We can start back to choir rehearsal August 6 instead of August 13!  In my previous letter I mentioned the possibility of me staying in the cabin with the Young Musicians, August 4-7 because Leslee Howze is the CAMP MUSICAL DIRECTOR.  But Steven & Emily Ligon have agreed to be cabin sponsors!  Now that I am free on Wednesday, August 6, we will start rehearsing once again minus the ones involved in Young Musician’s Camp.  There may be some of you who made earlier plans to be gone that week and back the next…NO WORRIES!  We will begin August 6 with those that ca n come.  I’m looking forward to getting you AND YOUR CLONE back to choir after just 5 weeks off.  Sundays have been great and you all have shown dedicated and faithful service to our worship!  Once again, rehearsal for Adult Choir begins August 6 at 6:30 with you and your clone!  I can’t wait!

Praising His Name,

Wednesday, July 9th

OPERATION:  Respect Your Elders (widows, widowers, shut-ins, senior adults in nursing facilities)

• The choir led in the morning chapel time at Baptist Retirement Village.  They also did chores for the residents and work with them in the care center.

OPERATION:  Harmony

• The choir went “hymnaling” to our senior adults and delivered some fresh baked goodies.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

Thursday, July 10th

OPERATION:   Good Cheer

• The choir presented a puppet show and sang some fun songs with the patients at OU Children’s Hospital.

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.  Proverbs 17:22

Friday-Saturday, July 11th-12th

OPERATION:   Have Fun!

• The choir will enjoy 2 days in Dallas eating dinner at Medieval Times and enjoying Six Flags.

Sunday, July 13th

OPERATION:  Celebration

• The Middle School Choir will be featured in the evening service.

Tuesday, July 8th

OPERATION:  Cool Water (& Lemonade)

• Today choir members will pass out bottles of water at to walkers at Lake Hefner and will also set up lemonade stands in two neighborhoods.

And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.  Matthew 10:42

Middle School Youth Choir (Soli Deo Gloria) summer mission week under the direction of Billie Thomas.  Track each day’s assignments as they are revealed to the students.

Sunday, July 6th

The choir was in concert at Seward Road Baptist Church in Guthrie.

Monday, July 7th

OPERATION BREAKFAST:  Blinzt & Rinse

• Breakfast was served to church support staff.

OPERATION LUNCH:  Suds, Spuds, & Steak

• Lunch was served to the ministerial staff.

In addition to the meal, each staff member also received a free carwash in the afternoon.

One more day on the bus…  One more day of riding, talking and laughing and even sleeping…  Tonight we’ll be home at QSBC for our last concert.  The equipment will be hauled in one last time…  One last time will this group be together to sing & share… One last time…  It’s hard to believe after a year of planning and preparing the trip has come and gone.

You met our first bus driver on Day 2.  Now you need to meet our 2nd driver, Mike McCurtain.   Mike is a PE teacher at John Glenn Elementary School in the Western Heights School District and lives in the Yukon-El Reno area.  He attends church at Chisholm Heights B.C. in Mustang.  After finishing school on Tuesday, Mike flew out on Wednesday to get us home.  Although he was detained by inclement weather, he made it to Juilliard by 5:30 Thursday morning to pick us up.  It’s been great to have 2 fine Christian men to help us get to our destinations safely.

We also want to thank our sponsors for giving of their time and energy to participate in iTour ‘08.  You’re the best!  We couldn’t have done it without you. 

Back row (l to r):  James Bradford (director), Mark Gandy, John Daffron, Aaron Robertson (assistant director), Shaun Boyd  Front row (l to r): Aleta Biddy, Brad Biddy, Beth Daffron, Katie Robertson (our own personal paparazzi), Cindy Wallace (pianist/assistant)

Jesus said, “I have glorified You on the earth by completing the work You gave Me to do.”  iTour ‘08 has glorified the Father by doing the work He called us to do in fulfilling every part of the mission statement of QSBC:

Look what God is doing! He binds us together in fellowship; He brings us together for worship; He builds us up for service; He sends us out with the Good News of Jesus. Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your Name give glory!

Today we visited the Indianapolis Juvenile Correctional Facility.  This facility is the girls prison for the entire state of Indiana.  Since it is a high level security facility, it was quite an experience for these kids (and sponsors) who had never been “frisked” before.  But everyone survived and we were treated with kindness and respect.  We were especially thankful for the help of Chaplain Casey-Allen (far right below) who we worked with for weeks beforehand, and Officer Pearson (center below) who escorted us through the facility. 

Before we began our program, the chaplain asked if there was anyone who did not want to attend a religious program and a couple of girls were escorted out.  This left the door open for James to share the gospel with freedom.  It was a difficult environment–large gym, loud fan blowers, and 147 troubled girls–but the kids sang with passion.  At the conclusion of the gospel presentation at least 50 girls raised their hands to acknowledge their acceptance of the gift of salvation.  Only time will tell if a work of God occurred in their hearts, but we know the Lord is near to all who call on Him with a sincere heart.  Psalm 69:33 says, “For the Lord listens to the needy and does not despise His own who are prisoners.”  What a wonderful promise to claim for these girls.

Next stop:  St. Louis.  Other than NYC we’ve been on the bus 8-10 hours a day, so to only have a 4-hour bus ride today was a welcome change.  When we arrived we had just enough time to check into the hotel before another “surprise” event.  The first night it was “Prince of Caspian.”  In NYC it was The Blue Man Group.  Tonight it was BOWLING…

We had ten lanes lanes and everyone bowled 2 games and had a lot of fun.  (Even if a certain director who shall remain nameless did ask his assistant more than once in a surprised tone when she was leading her team, “You’re ahead?”)

After bowling we ate at a buffet and of course, we sang for the hostess who so kindly found tables for 44 hungry people.  When we returned to the hotel, those who wanted to swim did so–girls first, then boys.  Can you believe it was the first opportunity for swimming in the 10 nights we’ve been in hotels?  (Of course you can!  You’ve read the posts and seen the pictures of what all we’ve done.) 

After swimming we had our Secret Saint share time.  When we left on the trip each student and sponsor was given an envelope with the name of a person and a character quality card.  During our 11-day trip we each observed our person and noted what character qualities we saw in them.  Tonight we sat in a circle and beginning with Bro. James we each shared the qualities of the person we were watching. Then we revealed the identity of our Secret Saint.  It’s a time of celebration and affirmation which strengthens the bond between us in Christ by learning to recognize and appreciate others.

Tomorrow it’s back on the bus one last day.  It’s hard to believe it’s almost over, but we’re excited to return home tomorrow and share with our church family all that God has done in us and through us.

This morning we sang for over 250 students at the Iroquois Job Corp in Medina, NY.  The director is a member at the Tonawanda Indian Baptist Church where we sang last night. 

Our S.O.P. (standard operating procedure) is for the kids to unload and set-up the equipment.  Each one has a special job and at this point in the trip it comes together pretty quick.  The kids have done a spectacular job of helping.

Today when James shared the gospel, 30-40 people prayed to receive Christ.  (We estimate since we don’t exactly have time to take a scientific count in that brief moment.)  Nonetheless, God knows the hearts who belong to Him and that’s what matters.  We were faithful to share–the increase belongs to Him.  Pray for all those who have made decisions that they would grow in their faith and not give up in following Him.

When we finish it’s time to re-load and hit the road.  This day to Indianapolis where we arrived about 9:45 pm.  Just one more stop then it’s home for a concert at QSBC on Sunday Evening.

By the time we loaded the bus, stopped by Lenny’s Deli (one of our t-shirt sponsors) to pick up bagels for breakfast and made our way out of the city, it was about 6:45 before we made it through the Lincoln Tunnel.  Let’s just say it was pretty quiet on the bus for a couple of hours.  We made good time and arrived at Niagara Falls on schedule about 2:00.  We all made our way down to the Maid of the Mist for an up close and personal tour of the Falls.  After putting on our blue ponchos to keep us dry (yeah, right…) we boarded the boat for a spectacular view.

Afterwards, those who didn’t get quite wet enough went through Cave of the Winds to view the falls from behind.

When everyone decided they had played in the water long enough, we went to the motel to check-in and dry off.  Tonight we went to the Tonawanda Indian Baptist Church to sing for Celebrate Recovery (a support group for people with addictions) and other church members.  Even though the kids were tired, the Spirit in them took control and they sang with enthusiasm and power.  As before, the STOMP was a big hit with the congregation.

Then when Caleb & the choir sang “This Is How It Feels to Be Free,” it was obvious there was no more perfect song for this crowd.  The Spirit of God gave them freedom to sing His message to a group of people who know all too well what it means to live in bondage.  When James shared the gospel 5 people gave their hearts to Christ.  After the service they fed us pizza and authentic genuine Buffalo hot wings.  We left with hearts and bellies full.  What could be better than that?

Today was iTour-Detour Day which means we had a change in plans.  (As Bro. James always says, “We maintain a rigid state of flexibility at all times.”)  Rather than the planned agenda for the day, we headed off to Grand Central Station in our “GO OU” shirts to catch a commuter train up the Hudson River to West Point where cadet Katie Fitchner (the niece of one of our sponsors, Mark Gandy) was waiting to serve us sandwiches and to escort us from one end of the campus to the other.  You’ve heard of The Long Gray Line?  Well, ours was The Long Red Line.

After 19 billion steps, we finally made our way up to the chapel.    But…it was well worth the effort. 

Even though the pipe organ was being tuned, the tuner stopped long enough for us to sing “America, the Beautiful.”  Then, as you can see, what they say is true.  What goes up really must come down.

With an invitation from the clerks in the bookstore, we were compelled to sing “America” once again.

By the way, have I mentioned the sponsors lately?  Their love for the kids and their team spirit can’t be topped anywhere.  Take Shaun Boyd, for example.  How else do you explain a Navy officer and an avid A&M fan wearing an Army hat with a GO OU t-shirt?…and at the same time!

And while we were waiting…and waiting…and waiting for our transportation across the river to arrive so we could catch the train back to Grand Central Station, the boys played a little football.  I guess they can now say they played football at West Point.

When our transportation did show up we hurried across the river, but alas, it was to no avail.  The train left without us!  So, we had to just hang around the train station until the next train came an hour later. 

All was not lost, though, because in that extra hour a man walked up and started talking to Bro. James and some of the sponsors.  Before it was over, James had the opportunity to privately share the gospel with Michael, and Michael prayed to receive Christ.  As they said “Amen” and shook hands, the train whistle blew from just around the bend.  Now we were ready to leave.

When we returned to the city one group made a detour through Central Park and others went straight to Juilliard to take a rest before seeing “The Phantom of the Opera.”

With mostly second and third row seats, the kids were pretty much overwhelmed by the show…especially when that chandelier started coming towards them.

Any time we wound up with extra tickets to an event, James was constantly on the lookout for people to give the tickets to.  He met a couple from Spain on top of the Empire State Building and they came as our guests, as well as Paulette (a subway attendant) and her husband (also named James). 

After the theatre we went to Uno’s Pizza for Chicago style pizza. (Go figure!)  Then we made one last ride on the subway back to Juilliard to pack and sleep, and to get ready to load the bus at 5:45 am in the morning.