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Abilene Christian's new gospel choir taking 'Christmas Story' concert on the road

Greg Jaklewicz, Abilene Reporter-News
·3 min read
From left, Ryan Young, Frangelica Terry, Malcom Craft, Eva Carillo, Collin Jumes and Josiah Hartman sing at Monday's ACU Gospel Choir rehearsal at Macedonia Baptist Church. They are members of Abilene Christian University's Gospel Choir.
From left, Ryan Young, Frangelica Terry, Malcom Craft, Eva Carillo, Collin Jumes and Josiah Hartman sing at Monday's ACU Gospel Choir rehearsal at Macedonia Baptist Church. They are members of Abilene Christian University's Gospel Choir.

For only the second time, Abilene Christian University's Gospel Choir will perform.

And for the first time, the 15-member multicultural group will sing at Macedonia Baptist Church.

The performance Wednesday evening is titled "The Christmas Story," and, director Samuel Cook said, it will weave non-traditional gospel songs into the season of Christ's birth.

Cook, who will be tenor soloist in this weekend's "Messiah" and is assistant professor of voice at ACU, said the idea is to bring more "reality" to the Christmas story. Most often, the story is presented as "sweet and cute," with the baby lying in a manger, he said.

Samuel Cook, associate professor of voice and artist in residence at Abilene Christian University, sings with the ACU Gospel Choir during rehearsal Monday evening at Macedonia Baptist Church. The group will perform there at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, a presentation open to the public.
Samuel Cook, associate professor of voice and artist in residence at Abilene Christian University, sings with the ACU Gospel Choir during rehearsal Monday evening at Macedonia Baptist Church. The group will perform there at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, a presentation open to the public.

The focus Wednesday evening will be on King Herod and the three Wise Men, whom Herod hopes will find his future king as they travel afar and share his location so that Herod could pay his respects. In reality, Herod wanted to kill the threat to his throne.

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The music provides "a lot of metaphors" that tie that struggle to struggles people have faced in the centuries since, Cook said.

Songs include "We Come This Far by Faith," which Cook said normally is performed fairly slowly. The ACU group's version will be a "more up-tempo version of it that's kind of rockin' the house," he said.

"O Come All Ye Faithful" and "Go Tell It On the Mountain," also will performed, hymns fitting of the season and familiar to all, but also "Jesus Be a Fence Around Me," made famous by Fred Hammond.

The Rev. Matthew Lubin, pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church, will offer reflections on the story of Christ's birth at Wednesday's performance by the Abilene Christian University Gospel Choir at his church.
The Rev. Matthew Lubin, pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church, will offer reflections on the story of Christ's birth at Wednesday's performance by the Abilene Christian University Gospel Choir at his church.

Cook said this song relates to the protection sought for both the Wise Men, who visit the manger but leave without meeting again with Herod, and the baby Jesus and his parents.

Interspersed with the music will be meditations by the Rev. Matthew Lubin, pastor at Macedonia, and Ryan Bowman, director of multicultural initiatives at ACU.

Lubin "will be sharing reflections that interpret the story through the songs," Cook said.

Ryan Bowman, director of multicultural initiatives at Abilene Christian University, will speak during Wednesday's performance by ACU's Gospel Choir.
Ryan Bowman, director of multicultural initiatives at Abilene Christian University, will speak during Wednesday's performance by ACU's Gospel Choir.

The seven-song presentation will be both a cappella and with a jazz band that includes pianist Henry Smith, who has performed with George Benson and others.

"This is not only traditional Church of Christ (singing), this is with a band," Cook said.

The ACU Gospel Choir was formed in 2019, before the racial upheaval of 2020. But choir went silent during COVID-19.

"This is only our second time having a concert," said Cook, who has sung several times on Abilene Philharmonic programs.

While "everyone is invited," Cook said, it is intentional that it is being presented at a church that is 1.5 miles from the ACU campus.

ACU on Sunday presented Vespers at historically white First Baptist Church, this presentation is at a historically Black church.

From left, Treana Bates, Taylor Johnson, Jalyn Thomas and Valeria Rheuda Villamarin rehearse Monday.
From left, Treana Bates, Taylor Johnson, Jalyn Thomas and Valeria Rheuda Villamarin rehearse Monday.

"This is one that goes into another part of our community to minister where ACU is sharing the Christmas spirit," Cook said.

"I think it's going to be pretty good."

Greg Jaklewicz is editor of the Abilene Reporter-News and general columnist. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.

If You Go

What: "The Christmas Story," a telling of Christ's birth through gospel music

Who: Abilene Christian University Gospel Choir

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Macedonia Baptist Church, 608 N. Seventh St.

Admission: No charge, and the public welcome

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene Christian's gospel choir taking Christmas concert on the road