Mennonite Children’s Choir brought gift of music to hurricane-affected communities

Fifty-eight young people with the Mennonite Children’s Choir of Lancaster embarked on a musical tour from June 11-15, bringing the gift of music and hope to areas affected by Hurricane Helene in September 2024.

Carrie Warner, music program assistant and tour planner, said that, in September 2024, as the choir planned its annual tour, they prayerfully considered how to visit the hurricane-affected areas in a way that would help the survivors in western North Carolina. They decided to offer free concerts in the area in June, then share half of the donated proceeds with Mennonite Disaster Service.

During their tour, the choir saw a bridge built by volunteers through “Bridging Together,” a partnership between MDS and Lutheran Disaster Response, and spoke with homeowners who MDS helped.

“We hope we can share encouraging, comforting messages,” said Warner, who added that the songs in the tour follow the theme “Seeing God in Every Day.”

The concerts opened with the hymn “Morning Has Broken,” and also included Namibian music and choreography, in addition to many other hymns.