Three years ago, I wrote a Messenger article about the Sanctuary Choir’s proposed 2020 tour to the Middle East. With an itinerary that included visits to Caesarea, the Church of the Annunciation, Mary’s Well, the Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Western Wall, the Via Dolorosa, Mount Zion, King David’s Tomb, the Dead Sea, Petra, Amaan, Jordan, and much more, this tour promised to be an adventure that would transform our understanding of this sacred ground.
With the start of the global pandemic, we were forced to postpone the tour, first to 2021, and now, to summer 2022. It’s marvelous to realize that by then, our world should be largely restored to normal levels. It fills me with joy to imagine traveling with the choir again.
Moving the choir tour to 2022 gives us many opportunities. After more than a year of no in-person Sanctuary Choir rehearsals, we will need to rebuild the choir. This extra year will give us the opportunity to learn about the places we will visit. And it gives those of you who were not originally able to join the tour the opportunity to sign up.
A common theme over these many long months has been that of grief over our inability to travel. Most of us have had to be content with socially-distanced day trips. I have come to love reading about future destinations on Trip Advisor and watching travel videos on YouTube. (Who would have thought that watching a video shot from the front of a train would excite the imagination!) As entertaining as all that can be, nothing quite compares to an adventure shared with dear friends, and especially, singing friends. An adventure that takes us to the very core of our faith is one that is worth waiting for.
One of the highlights for the choir has been the addition of “friends of the choir” on its journeys. Typically, 20-30 travelers join us our adventures. You and your friends in the church and community are “officially” invited to join us for this tour. It also is possible to sing with the choir while on tour. To learn more about the tour, contact me at
In the coming days, may your journey alongside Christ on his march toward Calvary and his triumph over death be spirit-filled and a blessing in your daily living.
