The Rejoice Community Choir recently performed its nineteenth concert at
Flower Mound’s Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church. This free concert
brings together various faiths, as well as the community, in an annual celebration
of sacred music and in support of Christian Community Action (CCA) of
Lewisville.
This year, the Trietsch Choir, Westside Baptist Church, and the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints were delighted to welcome newcomers to the concert:
Creekwood Christian Church and First Lewisville United Methodist Church. The
directors of each choir collaborate every year to plan which pieces the Rejoice
Choir will perform, as well as any additional solo pieces the concert will include.
Many participants find that worshiping with and singing alongside members of
other faiths is the most enjoyable part of the experience. A choir participant,
Annie Law, said, “I’ve been singing in the Rejoice Choir on and off over the past
few years. Since moving here from Utah a decade ago, this has been my favorite
thing about living in Texas.”
“It’s so nice to participate with other faiths and sing their worship music, which
enhances my own faith. We don’t have easy opportunities to mix with other
believers and this annual concert gives us a rare chance to connect and to both
experience and appreciate their music,” said Dr. Joni Jensen, choir director for
the Church of Jesus Christ. Dr. Jensen is also the Director of Choral Activities
and Associate Professor of Voice at Texas Woman’s University.
Dr. Patrick Bradley, the Minister of Worship & Creative Arts at Westside Baptist,
is one of five directors leading the choir and is a favorite among the performers
and audience alike as he gets everyone up and moving. This year, as always, he
went off-program to get the audience singing, stating, “The best church choir is
always the congregation!” The congregation clearly loved raising their voices
along with the choir after this enthusiastic praise.
Rev. Karen Chraska, Associate Pastor of Worship Arts, leads the Trietsch choir
and has coordinated the Rejoice Concert since it began. This year, Reverend
Chraska’s daughter Caroline was a soloist for the choral piece that Dr. Chraska
led. The mother/daughter collaboration was a lovely first for the concert. Other
exceptional soloists included James Dickens and Alex Poole.
Gilbert Montez, the President and CEO of Christian Community Action, stated
that even if the event were not a fundraiser for the CCA, he would attend for the
music alone. The sentiment was shared by all involved, as the aptly-named event
truly was a time to rejoice.