The whole group gathered back at Williamsburg UMC to load the bus, excited for our time at the beach later in the day. We then moved into the chapel for a morning devotion led by Drew.
After a time of morning worship, we all went to the bus and headed for the beach. On the way there, Jenn awarded Jay with the FFP button for having such a great attitude even though he would be leaving the group soon to start school back in Georgia. Luckily he arranged to return in order to join us for the last two concerts.
When we arrived at the beach, everyone was given about 4 hours of free time to either enjoy the beach or visit the shops along the boardwalk. We encouraged everyone to wear sunscreen and drink lots of water to make sure they would still be ready for the concert that night. Each group went its own way and when it came time to meet up at the bus, everyone was on time! We were excited to get back on the air conditioned bus and appreciated the cool ride due to the heat indexes ranging between 105-109 degrees. On the way to the church, some of the youth presented Katie Baird with a birthday present.
Katie happily accepted the gift even though the shirt had her least favorite animal on it (dolphin). Not long into the ride we arrived at Community UMC. Our friends, the Springsteads, met us at the church and helped make sure we got everything settled and prepared for the service that evening. We had a short rehearsal and then had the readers and soloists practice their parts.
Later we gathered in the fellowship hall for a dinner of barbecue and other fixings. We were surprised with a visit by Voices alumni Katie Lape and Olivia Klaers. Everyone finished their dinner, changed into their concert attire and then met for the pre-concert devotions in the chapel.
We mixed things up a little bit in the service with Jim playing the guitar. There were some moving testimonies and it's always great to see congregations engaging the in Spanish hymns. The service on Friday night had the most alumni yet with about 15 present. They ranged from the beginning of Voices all the way to 2010. It was great to see so many people there that had been impacted by the program.
After the service was over, Jenn paired everyone with their families. We went our separate ways yet again with wonderful news, we didn't have to report back to church until 9 a.m. Who knew an extra 30 minutes of sleep would excite people so much.
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