I’ve never really been the type of person in the youth group who was super excited to go to youth choir because I don’t pride myself in being a good singer. So when Robert Gammon proposed the idea of Jubilate, a choir tour consisting of five Baptist churches across the southeast, I was sure I would not be going because 1) I’m not musically gifted and 2) a weekend in January and a week in June filled with singing did not sound like much fun.

I don’t know if I’ve ever been more wrong, at least about the fun part. This will be my third year attending Jubilate. Every year, I look forward to going on the next Jubilate trip more and more. I’ve not only bonded with the other youth from Broadway, but also met some pretty amazing people from South Caroline, Georgia, and Tennessee. The five directors are so cool and have great leadership skills, considering they can manage a choir of more than 100 teenagers.

Most importantly, however, is the music. I Believe is by far my favorite song we performed at Jubilate. The words were found etched by a child on the wall of a concentration camp in Germany. The first time we sang this song, chills ran through my body. Hearing the lyrics can take one’s breath away, but knowing the backstory totally the knocks the wind out of you. The lyrics read as follows:

I believe in the sun even when it is not shining.
I believe in love even when I can’t feel it.
I believe in God even when God is silent.

Jubilate, to me, is something that cannot be expressed in words; it’s not just a choir retreat the youth attend. Yes, we have fun and it’s an indescribable experience. However, we are not the main beneficiaries; we’ve performed at countless churches, retirement communities, nursing homes, and even a juvenile correction facility. It’s surprisingly refreshing to be able to sing these gorgeous songs, even if we didn’t inspire or affect the people in the audience. I can’t think of a better way to spend this upcoming weekend than attending Jubilate.