Let Your Joy Overflow- the Village Children’s Choir
Posted 05/25/2010 by David Henry
Every Monday 15 or so children and their staff gather in the Alice C. Tyler Village chapel to raise the roof. “In song” that is.
The Gifted Hearts children’s choir has been a fixture of the Village in Virginia for the past 6 years. The choir is composed of children who have experienced the hard side of life but find comfort, release and hope in singing. The youngest choir member is 6 and the oldest 13 but all of the choir members are taught to think of the choir as a team effort.
The choir director who also works as an instructional aide in the school is the choir’s founder and a proponent of the philosophy that every moment and every experience is a teaching/learning opportunity. The choir participates each month in one chapel service. Occasionally as it can be arranged the choir will ‘go out’ for a service project to a local assisted living facility or to sing Christmas carols. 5 years ago the choir was invited to sing at an NFL banquet in Baltimore, MD. We even have a pool party each year on the ‘choir’s’ birthday.
As difficult as it sometimes is to see, Joy is
in the world. When the children break out in song and their faces light up in
smiles you can almost see the joy spilling out. That kind of joy is infectious.
This is just another example of how the unique environment that is a Childhelp
Village can help a hurting child begin the process of healing.
