On Thursday, June 12th, twenty-nine people will meet in New York City for a final rehearsal before departing for Ukraine. Pastor Roff has organized this choir mission trip to help the ministries of evangelical Presbyterian churches in Ukraine. The choir will sing concerts in six cities in that nation. At each concert, the pastor of the local church will invite people to learn more about the Gospel by visiting their services. The concert sung in each city will be a sampling of music sung in American churches, including hymn and Psalm arrangements as well as spirituals (an American phenomenon which is popular in Ukraine). Almost all of the music our choir has sung in recent months has been from the repertoire of these concerts. The three organists on the trip will also each play a major work on the organ in the concert hall venues.
The choir will also sing on Sunday, June 22 for the dedication of the newly completed church building in Belgorod-Dnestrovsky. Pastor Sergey Betin and his wife Lyuda visited here at LOPC last year.
Lake Osborne travelers include Valerie Tate, Carl and Marie Ashley (along with Carl's mother, Norma), Judy Lehtinen, Judy Morgan, Kwang Yang, Andy and Audrey Blanzole, and Larry Roff.
On Sunday morning, June 8, we will commission these music missionaries in our worship service. On Sunday evening June 8, the choir will present a concert here at LOPC. This will be a dress rehearsal for the concerts in Ukraine, and will give all of us an opportunity to enjoy what they have prepared, as well as gain a clearer idea of how to pray for God's blessing on the mission trip.
