2018 Tour - Day 1

Today begins the pilgrimage through North Carolina/Florida for the Charles Wesley Singers. Our theme is One in Christ Jesus and our T-shirts and water bottles will remind us daily because they’ve got the logo on them. We gathered for checking in at 7:30 am and everyone was prompt! And the weather was terrific - so things are off to a great start. 

Tour 2018 got underway with a preliminary section check and blessing from retiring pastor David Cooney in the sanctuary. He reminded us all that we may not know the impact we will have but that God will use us to reach others while we travel together, singing and sharing. We gave David a standing ovation for his pastorship at DUMC and then headed for the bus. Our fleet of 3 vehicles got on the road about 8:20 am. 

Paul Lopez is our driver again this year, and we are so thankful for him. Thanks to the Tregoning family for use of their Terp Van, and the Baldridge’s minivan is making the trip and will hence be known as the Duck Van because of the lovely duct tape that graces the left rear fender. Very special.

We always share a greeting when we first board the bus, and this year’s first greeters were Connor Dennie and Angela Nardone, as determined by a spin of the famous greeting wheel. 

Tom Baldridge opened his comedy act on the bus microphone today - material ranged from lessons from previous tours to septic system discussions to the time value of money. Lots of good material. 

New bus entertainment this year will be Fruit Facts by Sydney Fennington and Torie Brooks. Today we learned that strawberries have about 200 seeds and also were believed to have healing properties by the ancient Greeks. They suggested, however, that all medicine issues on our trip be handled by Liz Elliott and our team. The report was deemed “berry informative” by Steve Kalnoske.

Brian LaRosa, our resident train expert, told us about the logo of a sleeping cat on the Chessie System trains and encouraged all to “have a good little nap, my little Chessie kittens.”

Many did nap on the bus - many played cards and video games, ate lunch, listened to music. We stopped at the Virginia Rest-stop on I 85 for a few minutes. Some folks played a minute of football, and Arthur Hulcher stood bravely atop the water cooler to sweep a broom across the top of the bus and dislodge the football that got stuck. 

Back on the bus, Katie Elliott and David Hembrough greeted us all, spreading goodwill from the front to back of the bus. We also sang happy birthday to Reid Taylor who turns 15 today.

We arrived safely in Charlotte, NC, at about 4 pm. First UMC is a tremendous structure, in size and scale - someone told us the entire place is the size of two Walmart stores put together. The church’s four floors are like a maze filled with countless unique spaces for ministry are a wonderful tapestry of welcoming messages. 

Lots of personal connections were made in a Charlotte, too. Many tour members were united with family and friends who live in Charlotte, and Caleb and Anna Mae Black joined up with us at First UMC. Our number is now 63 people! 

We had some free time to investigate the building and then gathered at 5 pm for rehearsal in the sanctuary. Our three treble soloists for the Chichester Psalms were together for the first time and sang so well, as did the whole choir as we figured out where to stand and configure ourselves. Dinner was at 6 pm - Our hosts are very lovely and welcoming and prepared a wonderful meal. We had lasagna, salad, and brownies and pound cake for dessert. Also we sang happy birthday to Reid Taylor again and he blew out all 15 candles in one breath. This is the benefit of singing of course - increased lung capacity!!

Everyone looked dapper in formal concert attire, and we began singing at 7:30 pm. We had never sung start to finish through the whole program, so it was a special night, and the audience was most responsive. Highlights (from Polly’s perspective) were the Chichester Psalms coming together well, John Hoffpauir’s saxophone solo that we all heard for the first time tonight, choir members smiling broadly when a wrong note or two sounded, soloists getting the whole group excited, and the way that sound just pours out of the choir when they get excited. Miraculous really!

We will sing at First UMC again in the morning so I had to smile when our folder cleanup crew was so efficient that the music was all cleaned up and packed up by the van before I had a chance to remind them we need the folders in the morning. But people are taking their roles seriously, and for that we are grateful. 

Pastor Val Rosenquist and other church staff have bent over backwards to accommodate us, and some of our group are staying overnight on mattresses at the church and will awaken in time to serve at a community breakfast. Others of us are in a hotel tonight, and still others went with host families. Hopefully all are asleep as I sign off! 

Good night - until tomorrow.

~ Polly

Click Here for Photos from Day 1

 Click Here for Video from the Day 1 Concert

Tour 2017 - When it Comes to Lobster, It’s OK to be Shellfish

Something about a continental breakfast makes you feel like you’re about to go out on an adventure, and boy what a time we had today. We slept in for the first time in a while today, pulling out of the good old RWUBICC around 10am with bathing suits and towels packed in day bags. We set out for the quaint town of Chatham on the elbow of Cape Cod.

Upon arrival we managed to find a place just big enough for the bus to park and began our takeover of the small beach town. Chatham Squire is my family’s favorite place to get a cup of “chowdah” on all of the Cape, so a few of us indulged in a pre-lunch lunch. Afterward the group explored the unique little shops there and made sure we had gifts for those who couldn’t make it on the trip this year. My favorite shop is the famous Candy Manor fudge shop which houses many kinds of designer candies and boast a great collection of fudge made on the premises. The smell is one of the fondest of my childhood and brings back memories of summers past and fudge consumed. Reconvening at the green area, we had a spectacular sandwich spread under a gazebo in the park there.

Once we'd had our fill, we boarded the bus for a quick ride to the Corporation Beach in Dennis. After figuring out how to fit a charter bus down a tiny beach road, everybody bolted off the bus excited to play on the beach. Sunscreen application was overscreen by our wonderful medical team (Liz, Deb, and Kay … all of whom have been doing a fantastic job of ensuring the health, hydration, and care of everyone on the trip). This beach is truly magical, and it was very fulfilling to share such an integral part of my youth with the group. Jonathan Colburn took immaculate photos of the kids in action and I encourage you to follow the link that will be provided (We hope you have been enjoying the photos provided primarily by Jonathan and Nick!).

Around five o’clock everyone admitted that they could go for a meal, and what a meal it was! The Sesuit Harbor Cafe, which overlooks the Northside Marina, is the best place to get a lobster roll, no, a lobster anything, no, just anything seafood at all, on Cape Cod. The day was absolutely gorgeous, and our friend JC ensured that we were well taken care of, just like he had done in 2009 when we had booked the whole restaurant for the night. Many of the kids had never had lobster before, and those who preferred something else had steak tips or chicken tenders. Potato salad, cole slaw, and corn on the cob ensured that our lobster feast was filling and a few of the more experienced chaperones lent a claw, er.. hand to make sure that everyone could work their lobsters and the meal went swimmingly.

After dinner we were free to walk along the beach there before boarding the bus once again for the good old RWUBICC. The ride featured a double greeting but not much else. The sun has a way of taking the energy right out of you. The only thing left on the agenda was some reflection time in the common area. There is a feeling of safety and comfortability with others that leads one to speak from the heart (Jonathan Colburn would later describe it as Holy Spirit time). It’s the most raw version of yourself that you expose to people you know will accept you no matter what. The room was full of a warm energy that surprised some, and as the discussion went on it was amazing to see who opened up and gave their burdens up to God.

It has been incredible to share this tour with all of these young people, and as we prepare to return to Damascus, I’m confident that we have achieved our goal of spreading the good Word to those in need.

"Goodnight all”
-G!

Click here for photos of day 7

2017 Tour - Day 6 “Everyone Who Thirsteth Come to the Water…Front”

Good morning Vietnam! I mean day six! With the tour well past the halfway mark everyone is making sure to treasure each waking moment! Our hosts dropped us off at the beautiful Waterfront Park in Bath, ME where we would be led in worship under a bright blue sky. The readings this morning from Genesis were a reminder to treat every day as a new beginning, and as the pastor spoke about opening our eyes to God’s creation, we gazed out at the water and saw that it truly was “good”.

At the end of the service everyone was invited to take a pebble, which symbolized a burden we all carry, and throw it into the water - giving it up to God. It’s important for us to remember that we all carry many burdens, and that while a single pebble isn’t too much to handle, a backpack full of pebbles is quite a load to carry.

Feeling liberated, we boarded the bus for one of our country’s greatest cities: Boston, MA. We stopped for a very quick lunch about an hour in, and got right back on our way. With our master driver Paul maneuvering the lucrative streets of Boston, ooohs and ahhhs rang out from the back seats of the bus. We pulled into Trinity Church about a quarter of 5 and got into our formal concert attire. The church was as magnificent as ever, and the acoustics were second to none. We were assured that we couldn’t possibly make a mistake in the service and given a truly great piece of advice, “You can get away with anything in the service, as long as you do it slowly”. Speaking of the service, it was quite a different experience from what we are used to on Sundays at DUMC. All the same, the congregation let us know that we were still in top form after performing “Hear My Prayer” and “One Faith, One Hope, One Lord”.

We were glad to witness Steve really opening up the organ for the postlude. The room was full of sound and life as he worked away on the instrument with which he is so familiar. After changing and heading back into the city we broke into small groups in our search for dinner. Again, we lucked out and missed the rain entirely! On the previous New England tour in 2009 it had rained A LOT. Like every day. Seriously.

It’s nice for us to all be staying in one place tonight and tomorrow. Roger Williams University Bayport Inn and Conference Center (that’s quite a mouthful and will henceforth be referred to as the good old RWUBICC) will house us the final two nights of the tour. Looking forward to what joy Cape Cod will bring tomorrow.

“We’re inn touch, so you be in touch” (you thought you were getting through this without a pun? Yeah right!)

-G!

Click Here for Photos of Day 6