Singing Stars Weekend in Montclair
by Hugo Bravo
The day after singing for 400 people at the Salvation Army Candidates’ Seminar at the College for Officer Training in Suffern, N.Y., the Singing Stars joined with the Eastern Territorial Staff Songsters for a concert at the Montclair Citadel.
“This group of young people, and not so young people, have been a wonderful blessing to the territory,” said Lt. Colonel Margaret Davis. “They have worked hard to prepare for this weekend, learning what it means to be a minister of music, and forging new friendships.”
One of the afternoon performances was a rendition of “What Was I Made For?” by pop star Billie Eilish. The song, originally from the movie soundtrack for Barbie, talks about feelings of purpose and finding your own place in the world.
“As an officers’ kid, I’m used to moving around. But now my family is seven hours away,” said soldier Emily McNeil in her testimony. She’s from the Empire State Division but now attending college and the Lowell Corps in Massachusetts. “I’ve struggled with the question of what was I made for, and how am I going to help my corps grow. But my second week at Lowell, during the youth programs, two little girls came up to me and knew my name. They hugged me and welcomed me.
“That’s what God does for us,” said McNeil. “If your arms are open, He will always make you feel welcome. I thought that being so far away, I would be left out and exiled, but the Lord did not let that happen.”
As a wooden cross was brought to the center of the stage, the Singing Stars and Songsters performed “Lacrimosa” by Mozart and “I Speak Jesus” by Charity Gayle.
“During Roman times, seeing a cross was terrifying. It was an object of torture, suffering, and execution; the worst punishment reserved for the worst criminals,” said Captain Cristina Spencer, corps officer in Wilmington, Del., and one of the Singing Stars’ prayer group leaders. “If you were carrying a cross, it wasn’t a sign that you were on a mission, or a symbol of your faith.
“The walk to your death was hot, tiring, and shameful. People would insult you and throw things at you as you carried a 300-pound wooden cross. When Jesus told his disciples to take up their cross and follow Him, they were probably scared, knowing He was asking them something difficult,” she continued.
“To carry your cross means to put your faith in God. You trust that He is with you in your suffering. You obey God when obedience can cost us wealth, family, and careers, because He is worth more than the cost of anything in our lives.
“There is no deeper love than the love He has for us. But following Him is not supposed to be comfortable or easy. Still, we endure that for Jesus. He is moving in His wise direction, so we come to the cross and follow in step with Him.”
At the conclusion, Bandmaster Derek Lance of the New York Staff Band thanked everyone who was involved in the Singing Stars weekend, from leading the prayer groups to cleaning the rooms reserved for practices.
“I also want to thank [Staff Songsters leader and divisional music director] Erik Jones and [assistant divisional music and creative arts director] Lily Finikin,” said Lance. “There are wonderful leaders in music all over The Salvation Army, and we are blessed to have two of the very best to lead our singing groups.”
