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A trouble free coach trip saw us arrive at Castleford’s impressive Army hall on schedule and there was time for a very welcome drink as we walked in. We already knew we were going to meet and worship with a fantastic group of Christians at Castleford and so we felt at home immediately. The inevitable rehearsal/sound check followed to get a feel for the hall, and then we were treated to a traditional Yorkshire meal.
Before long the festival was due to start but, in a break with tradition, the prayer meeting for the songsters was moved to 30 minutes before the festival. Matthew Mynott really helped concentrate our minds on the weekend and the reason we were there.
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Then to a full hall the songsters came in and started to greet the congregation to the soundtrack I Will Enter His Gates, before taking their places on the stage to commence the evening.
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There followed a feast of music based around the Psalms featuring Emma Wilkinson in Psalm 23 (not AS the Vicar of Dibley, but singing the Psalm to the theme tune of the same programme). A number of individual items enriched the evening: a vocal solo from Stephanie Lamplough, a xylophone solo from Rob Hayward and a saxophone solo from Anna Lamplough, all perfectly executed. There was also an item from our timbrel group.
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I was involved with making sure the multimedia presentation was on the right screen at the right time and this was further complicated (for me anyway) by the Castleford technical whiz kids (Simon and Hayden) operating cameras to get close ups for the people sitting near the back. All this distraction meant I wasn’t fully able to concentrate on listening to the programme, but as there was nothing for me to do during the Medley from the Musical Joseph and then nearer the end of the programme, it suddenly struck me how good the songsters sounded. I am not saying this because I am part of the brigade, I was really impressed with the sound and clarity and performance, and it made me happy to be there and be associated with them.
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Sunday started slightly early with a 10am meeting - I don’t think we could manage that every week!! It was freezing cold outside but we were warmly welcomed again and the meeting was themed around 'The Fire of the Holy Spirit', so there was no chance of freezing inside. There were four thoughtfully prepared talks from Diane Andrews, Ruth Prew, Zedekiah Gudza and Glenda Dixon, with Karen Hayward leading the meeting in a sensitive manner and the songsters providing appropriate music such as Living Fire, Make Us One, In His Presence and Spirit of the Living God. The junior sections from Castleford helped the meeting with their contributions.
Following the meeting it was a chance to meet and greet a few more of the Castleford folk over coffee and a biscuit. It is a very friendly corps and we were consistently made to feel welcome.
After lunch we returned for the final meeting of the day and started with Proclaim the Glory of the Lord, starting as we meant to go on through the meeting. We had a number of short testimonies (all volunteers) and a vocal solo from Gloria Kendrick. The home corps sections contributed to the worship and with songs such as My Strength Alone, He is My Way, As the Bridegroom, Word Made Flesh and Moment of Truth, the songsters helped the meeting move along to the final thoughts presented by Songster Leader Lesley Nicholson.
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Following a word of thanks to everyone, Castleford and Birmingham Songsters joined together to sing Total Praise.
We enjoyed a trouble-free journey back to Birmingham with a very happy coach load of songsters and I’m sure a relieved and extremely pleased Songster Leader on board.
Once again I can say that the word excellence springs to mind. It was a weekend of fantastic performances both individually and as a brigade, and a weekend where everyone can be delighted with their contribution.
There were a few songsters who couldn’t make it due to illness or work commitments; they were remembered through the weekend and they were missed as well.
Words: Robert O’Connor
Pictures: Gordon McKee
