Bermuda Divisional Band Visits Massachusetts

The Bermuda Divisional Band of the Salvation Army, under the direction of Bandmaster Warren Jones, traveled north to the cold climate of Boston, Massachusetts, February 14-17, 2003. The trip was in exchange for the visit of the Massachusetts Divisional Band to Bermuda in May, 2000. During the current journey, the Bermuda Divisional Band participated in a youth music clinic at Gordon College, Sunday morning services at the historic Park Street Church, and a praise service at the Roxbury Corps of the Salvation Army.

Following a rehearsal at the Hamilton Citadel in Bermuda on Thursday, February 13, the band flew to Boston on February 14. They were greeted at Logan International Airport by Masschusetts Divisional Music Director William Rollins. The band was taken to the Boston Central Corps and toured the corps and the Divisional Headquarters before meeting their billets for the weekend.

On Saturday, February 15, the Divisional Band traveled to the campus of Gordon College, located in the town of Wenham, Massachusetts, approximately 25 miles north of Boston. They conducted a clinic for young musicians, with twenty young people. Following a dinner at the college, the band presented a Festival of Sacred Music, featuring introductions (and personal testimonies) by various members of the group before each piece. The youth who participated in the clinic also joined the band for a special number.

Gordon College, founded as a missionary training academy in 1889 by Reverend Dr. A. J. Gordon, is a small institution (approximately 1,700 undergraduate students) that is well-known for its Christian ideals and academic excellence. It is consistently regarded as one of the top Christian liberal arts schools in the United States, and is the only nondenominational Christian college in New England.

The Bermuda Divisional Band returned to the historic downtown area of Boston for Sunday morning services at the Park Street Church (Senior Pastor Dr. Gordon P. Hugenberger). Located just across the street from the northeast corner of the famous Boston Common, Park Street Church was founded in 1809 and has long been a landmark in the city, with a spire rising more than 200 feet. The band was featured in two morning services, heard by a total congregation of more than 1,200 persons. Following a meal, the band moved to the Salvation Army's Roxbury Corps, for an afternoon of praise and worship. This meeting grew at the moving of the Spirit and eventually stretched to more than four hours of worship.

Sources:
Bermuda Division
Gordon College
Park Street Church

Posted by Webmaster 10 March 2003 17:16:03