A Favorite Friday

There are times in your life that you know are special even as you live them. Friday night the children of West End Collegiate Church gathered with a purpose. They were going to sing and dance and tell a joke in order to raise the money to pay their way to New Orleans in August. We are going, you see, to build a home as part of the Collegiate Churches' collective commitment to ministering to a devastated community.

Associate Pastor Jim Sterner, my boss, says the words "Let's put on a talent show" don't exist in his vocabulary. But that seemed the most natural route for me and put on a talent show we did. And it was beautiful and overwhelmed with spirit. The kids were so aware that they were doing this not just for the fun of it, but for the God of it. They were celebrating themselves and the gifts God has endowed upon them, building community and connection and memory.

Devon played emcee for the evening and was brilliant, articulate, funny... the kid's a genius. Emily sang "Love Song" accompanied by William (who learned the song by ear - a guy after my own heart). She was fantastic and looked like a blond Audrey Hepburn. John David, who sang so splendidly a few weeks ago, was just as splendid at the piano. Samantha threw me a huge curve by choosing "The Wizard and I", a particularly challenging song from Wicked. I promise you, she sang far more wonderfully than I played it! Matthew told an impromptu story about Dorothy, done with Oz, making a side trip to Narnia. Sam told dinosaur jokes and took the most impressively professional bow of the night. Many wonderful musicians: Christian did his awesome flute thing, Alexander his world-class piano playing, Terence aceing his piano piece too. Derek provided two acts, playing piano and singing from Oliver! Greta sang the song I blogged about last week, "Beautiful Disaster", and she totally scored. Ayo and a friend from Middle Collegiate did a routine called "How Not to do Ballet". After many tears, Elizabeth sang the theme song from I Carly and gave me the biggest hug I got all night (and I got some big hugs!). Alexandra and Zane competely charmed everyone by making an ice cream sundae onstage and auctioning it off. As for adults, John from Middle did a gorgeous "Seasons of Love" and I did a pretty wonderful rendition of my own "Miracle Time".

We were standing room only but the room seemed to get bigger and bigger all night as I felt more and more spirit rejoicing and growing. Yesterday at church, of course, the kids and their folks needed to relive it in minute detail. We made a memory together.

And that's not all we made. We were hoping to get donations to equal $450, the cost of sending one kid. As of yesterday we made just upwards of $4,000!

I am still buzzing with joy.