Glasgow Church is actively preparing for the event of the year as the congregation held its very first choir practice from the 22nd to the 24th March. Impact Glasgow 2024, an outreach campaign organised by the local church in partnership with mission-minded youth and members from Portugal, will run from the 27th of June to the 6th of July in various places across the city. The occasion features a health expo, various community work assigned by the council, and health seminars. The climax of the event will be a community-focused gospel music concert featuring the Impact Gospel Choir. This will take place at the Royal Concert Hall of Glasgow on Sabbath the 6th of July.
The Impact Gospel Choir consists mainly of church members from Glasgow and Portugal, united to celebrate the power of the gospel message, delivered through the universal language of music. Over 30 participants took part in the first choir practice under the supervision of Samuel Cabral, the maestro. Samuel is a music teacher, gospel music professional, choir orchestra director, and multi-instrumentalist, who plays the piano, guitar, flute, and saxophone. The choir maestro, who sees his voice as his first instrument, travelled all the way from Portugal to set the foundation of the choir. “My life is music. I am blessed with musical abilities, and I want to share my knowledge with others. With God’s help, I can promise that we will deliver a concert with a higher level of performance and impact the audience with an unforgettable and life-changing experience,” he said.
According to Ebube Nwarunma, the music coordinator in Glasgow, the upcoming Gospel Choir concert is uniquely characterised by its trans-generational and multicultural essence. Despite the distance, the choir members and the maestro relentlessly work in synergy. Samuel will be visiting Glasgow on a monthly basis for a 7-hour rehearsal that occurs over a weekend. "In the interim, continuous virtual preparations take place, with instructions, voice notes, lyrics, and videos shared via the WhatsApp group chat specifically created for this purpose," Ebube elaborated.
The work is efficient, the concert is promising, and the music coordinator commented with delight: “We just had our first set of intensive weekend rehearsals and the turnout was great, exceeding expectations. After the first 2 hours of rehearsals, we already had a choir that presented a good special item in church, which was impressive. So, I will say, we’ve had a great start. Credit to all the members who have shown great dedication.” Ebube admitted that the expectations for this concert are high, but the singers will try their very best and with prayers and God’s guidance, the concert will match or even exceed all expectations.
Sharing his impressions of the first weekend of rehearsals, Pastor Claudiu Popescu, who has also joined the choir, said to have been “doubtful seeing only 12 people in attendance for the rehearsal on Friday evening. But, by Sunday, the choir had over 30 participants.” Pastor Popescu offers prayers of gratitude and praises the Lord for the attendees who have committed to embark on this gospel-oriented musical initiative.
Drawing from his personal experience, Pastor Popescu emphasised the importance of various factors such as members' commitment, an outward focus, abundant prayer, thorough preparation and organisation, as well as the involvement of numerous city organisations and authorities, in ensuring the success of Impact Glasgow.
The outreach campaign comprises three main activities:
- The health expo: a platform offering deep insights into many aspects of health and wellness from the 1st to the 4th of July, with health seminars held each evening by Dr. Beatrice Kastrati, the NEC Health Director.
- Community clean-up projects in various locations, still to be confirmed.
- A gospel concert to crown the whole week of activities on the 6th of July in the Royal Concert Hall of Glasgow city, a venue that seats 500 people.
Impact Glasgow is organised by a committee of five departments of the Glasgow Church - Music, Health, Evangelism, Communications, and Prayer Ministries - with the support of the local church board. Impact Glasgow partners with mission-minded youth and professional adults from different churches in Portugal who will help and inspire with their expertise, commitment, and love for people and God.
Pastor Popescu extends his heartfelt gratitude to the Scottish Mission, the British Union Conference, the Trans-European Division, and local members for their generous financial support, and encourages more individuals to join this initiative by volunteering for both the Health Expo and the Gospel Music Choir. If you are interested, please email claudiu@adventist.scot
Prayers are appreciated for this evangelistic initiative as Glasgow church prepares to make a significant positive impact in the community. May God bless this endeavour, dedicated to transforming lives for His glory.
