I sing in the gospel choir at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. Through my brothers and sisters in the choir, I am learning what it means to have a relationship with God. I love the singing and the dancing, but I thank God most of all that I can know him and that he desires me to be his child. My life wasn’t always like this.

I was raised with the mentality that with hard work I could do great things and accomplish whatever I put my mind to. So I was bent on going to college, even though I got average grades in high school. In my family, going off to college was a rare experience. I had a dream that I would get an education to become an attorney, get married, start a family and make lots of money. But my journey was interrupted when God stepped in. I believe he stepped in when I stepped onto the campus of DePaul University in Chicago.

To this day I could not tell you how or why I chose to attend DePaul University. I didn’t know much about the college, but my mind was set on it anyway. Maybe I was interested in the campus because DePaul had a program for first-year students of color. Each student in the program was given a mentor to aid in freshman transition to DePaul. My mentor was Kelly Ballard, and she was in the gospel choir. Kelly asked me to come check it out, but it really wasn’t my thing. This was college and it was time to have fun and be wild, right? Wrong! Besides, I commuted two hours each way from school and the gospel choir met from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. or longer. Then Kelly offered me a place to stay if I ever decided I wanted to go to choir.

I can’t remember the first rehearsal that I went to but I do remember the people and how they made me feel. I entered a room full of smiling faces that were mostly black, but with other races present as well. There was something about these people that got me hooked. Their focus was on God and ministering his word. When they sang, they sounded like angels. It wasn’t because they were the best singers, but because they opened their hearts to God when they sang. There was a peace among them and it was nothing like the gospel choir I had sung in at my high school, where we put on a good show and tried to forget about all the mean ways we had been treating one another.

The gospel choir at DePaul was different. They were willing to put aside who they were to praise God. They weren’t perfect. They never claimed to be “holier than thou,” nor did they say they were better than anyone else. But they did claim to be children of God, and they were proud of that. They knew they had struggles in life and they would never make it on their own. So together they built up and supported one another as they laughed and hugged, smiled and cried. I didn’t join that first night but I was hooked and was back the very next week.

My friends in the choir became a support system for me. They held me accountable for my life because someday God would do the same. When I moved on campus, they became the family that I needed to help me to grow and stand firm and be all God had called me to be.

The gospel choir was a new experience for me; they would pray and pray and pray, and I would wonder when it would all be over. They would start a song and create a new verse right in the middle of it. They would shout and dance and speak in tongues. And this was all foreign to me; I just wanted to sing.

Then InterVarsity stepped in. I attended the Vision 1999 conference for black student leaders and it was a weekend I’ll never forget. I cried, repented, and learned all about conviction. I knew it was time for me to make some heart changes. Reverend Brenda Salter McNeil was giving us our final directions before we left, but before she gave her closing prayer she said if there was anyone who couldn’t remember when they gave their life to Jesus to take control, now is the time. And I felt a tug on my heart but I didn’t think she could be talking to me. Then I felt as though she read my mind and spoke right in my spirit and said, “I feel there is a lady here who is struggling with this decision and now is the time to come to Jesus.” So I did it; I gave my life to Christ. This was the first time I did more than acknowledge his existence; this time I accepted him into my life.

It was through the gospel choir and I-V that God worked to change me. That summer I did the Chicago Urban Project with I-V and learned not only what it meant to be saved, but more importantly how to live a life that is edifying to God and is an example that others might follow.

Since the DePaul gospel choir was started about six years ago it has grown from very few members with little music to about 35 members, with many musicians and a number of talented directors. The choir’s goal has always been to spread the Word of God and minister to our campus. Last year the choir added another element to the ministry: Alpha and Omega. This is a praise dance, step and drama team consisting of about ten people who praise God in ways other than singing. This group adds a powerful new dimension to our message.

Like all other organizations, the gospel choir has its share of problems. But we strive to stay in the will of God and work out our differences. We have personality conflicts and disputes, we get discouraged and we sometimes can’t tell if we’re coming or going. But we know that it is simply by the grace of God that we have made it this far, and he will continue to move us and elevate us. We have our cliques that we are not proud of, so we work on ways to get everyone comfortable with one another to the point where we can pray for one another. We do most of our ministry off campus and realize that our three concerts a year and weekly Bible study is really not enough to effectively change and touch the hearts of our fellow students.

We know we are going to face issues but we don’t give up. Instead we lean on each other and together we lean on God. We operate as a unit, humbling ourselves before one another, and stepping out of our comfort zone.

A good example was our Spring Concert 2000. It didn’t go the way we wanted it to, and afterwards we all could have pointed the finger of blame. Instead, it was a humbling experience, and we were all responsible for not being prepared. It is that heart to follow after God and be in line with his will that makes the choir unique. We aren’t all where we desire to be spiritually, but thank God we are far from where we used to be! In spite of the many differences we have and problems we face, the gospel choir remains a place of peace where singing is just the beginning of rich community.

Over the past school year a few of us have been working together to bring I-V and the gospel choir into a better relationship. We have the desire to do more things together because we realize how powerful the two ministries can be. However it is no easy task. We realize that the two organizations are different and the people are very different as well. Right now we are learning about each other to develop a good foundation, and we have plans to do activities and ministry together.

In the fall I will also be one of the choir’s chaplains who will be working closely with I-V staff and students and others to develop a more effective ministry for the members as well as the students at DePaul. It is so vital that this relationship between the gospel choir and I-V be correctly established and maintained. The two organizations together can really help make a difference on our campus. That’s what I want to see happen.