Choir’s explosion of joy at Larne concert

The concert was part of the interdenominational group’s aim of being a bridge that enables people to come together and share their faith while respecting the rich diversity that exists among us.

Rev Dr Ivan Hull, chair of the Larne Tuesday Group, welcomed the choir and hoped they experienced a good Larne welcome and his comment, “We all love Larne,” was greeted with spontaneous applause. He particularly welcomed the Mayor, Councillor Martin Wilson, to the event.

“An explosion of joy” is an apt description of the visit of the Belfast Community Gospel Choir to Larne High School on Saturday evening, when an audience of about 200 gathered to listen to the 50 singers, out of a possible 100-plus, who had come to Larne.

The receptive audience listened as the choir sang their hearts out and swayed with the music as they proclaimed the Good News, meant to be joy for everyone irrespective of who they are or where they have come from. That itself was portrayed by the choir, with members from across the province and different countries blending their voices in perfect harmony.

The choir was directed by conductor, Marie Lacey, whose spontaneous humour transformed the evening from being a formal performance to bringing the choir and audience together into one happy family.

The songs were a mix of old favourites like “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,” and the classic Christmas carol “O holy night” as well as other contemporary worship songs that praised God and uplifted all present in the right spirit as Christmas approaches to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Voluntary donations for the “Soap Box Appeal” totalled £322.56.

The next Tuesday Group meeting will be a” Christmas Meditation” led by Captain Sue Whitla of the Salvation Army in Drumalis on Tuesday, December 16 at 11am, preceded by tea and coffee at 10.30am.

In the New Year, the annual Christians Together service will be held in the McNeill Theatre on Sunday, January 18 at 3pm.

All are welcome to attend these events.