Sing Along

Every Thursday, I go to Friends and Neighbours at Whitehouse.  This is a time where members of the community, both Catholics and protestants, come together to share tea and coffee, participate in an afternoon activity and share a meal.  A lot of people come for the lunch at the end of the Friends and Neighbors, but there is a group of about 15 ladies that come every week to the tea and coffee and afternoon activity.  Over the past six weeks I have gotten to know the ladies quite well, and I enjoy getting to see them each week.  The simple gathering of cross community women speaks volumes for how God is working through the luncheon ministry and for His presence in this place.  Take today’s meeting for example:

Fourteen ladies, me included, were sitting in a semi-circle turned towards a keyboard.  Sitting at the keyboard was an exceptional woman named Minty.  Minty has recently suffered a stroke and has been working over the past 10 months to relearn how to do simple life tasks – writing, walking, reading, etc.  Minty is also a very talented musician, and she has been patiently leaning on Christ through relearning and remembering how to play the piano. 

Everyone was gathered around Minty, ready for her to play some fun and familiar songs on the keyboard.  She started out playing a few songs that the women simply sat and listened to; her music was absolutely beautiful.  Then she started to play some songs that the group knew the words to, and everyone started to sing along.  As Minty ran out of songs to play, the group started requesting old songs that the majority of the group knew.  Minty was able to play most of the songs requested, and she was doing so by memory.  I did not know a lot of the songs that were being played, but I was so happy to be sitting in that room listening and witnessing the presence of God.  Multiple times during the sing along I had chills and could not help but to sit there and smile.

Looking back on today’s meeting, I am overwhelmed with the power of coming together as one community.  The ladies who came together today were not concerned with what church each other went to or what neighborhood they lived in when growing up, they were concerned with fellowshipping together as believers in Christ and experiencing the wonderful healing powers of God through Minty.