This Sunday, June 9th will mark the 25th Annual Messiah Music Camp with the presentation of Light of Life: Signs of the Savior. The original musical, written by Lois Graff and Scott Peterson, is directed by Stephanie Gillespie. The musical features over 40 children attending this week’s camp, including fourteen children from Christ Kiswahili Lutheran Church in Nashville. These students are staying in member households for the week. Messiah has an exciting partnership in the Gospel with Christ that is now entering its third year!
The camp began on Monday and will continue through the week. Music Camp mornings are full of music, crafts, drama, recreation, worship, and a healthy snack. After a sack lunch (from home), campers enjoy afternoon activities like roller skating, bowling, movies, etc.
Each morning starts with a fifteen-minute Worship and Music time led by Pastor Scott accompanied Graff and student musicians. Since all of the drama unfolding in the musical comes from the Bible, Pastor Scott gives a brief devotional on the verse and explains how it connects not only to the musical but also to life and faith. From there, the campers break off by age group through the craft, music, snack and recreation sessions. As the week progresses the younger and older campers gather in Messiah’s Parish Hall for group rehearsals and work get fitted for their costumes.
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Younger campers work on a craft project.
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Craft time for older campers.
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Messiah Youth "shepherds" take a few moments to relax during musical rehearsal.
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Group musical rehearsal before lunch on Thursday, June 6th.
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Lois Graff, Stephanie Wallace, Terry Frakes, and Pastor Scott go over staging notes during Thursday's rehearsal.
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Volunteers Marcie Emerson and Jan Murphy set out Tuesday morning's snack of strawberries and pretzels.
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Costuming actors for the annual Music Camp.
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Scott Peterson lights the Baptismal Candle to start off the morning daily devotional time.
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A few of the outreach projects made by participants on Monday, June 3rd.
Graff and Peterson have written three musicals in four years.
This year’s musical was two years in the making! Graff and Peterson made the difficult decision in 2018 to postpone that year’s camp to ensure that more children from Christ Kiswahili could attend this year’s camp. It also gave Graff and Peterson more time to develop the text and song lyrics of Light of Life: Signs of the Savior. Graff has written the music for all of Messiah Music Camp’s musicals since the beginning. Light of Life is the third original musical by Graff and Peterson in the span of four years. Graff rotates the camps year to year so children who attend year-after-year will experience and learn a new musical without repeating.
The presentations of Light of Life: Signs of the Savior take place at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. on June 9th, 2019 during Messiah’s Sunday Services of Worship with the Lord’s Supper. Everyone is always welcome to attend worship at Messiah! Music Camp Sunday always brings extended family and friends of the campers to worship and to see the musical.
Following the 11:00 a.m. Worship, there will be a Church Potluck in the Fellowship Hall to celebrate the friendships that have formed through the week. Members, as well as families and friends of participating campers, are encouraged to attend. Please bring a side dish, salad or dessert to share. Messiah’s Fellowship Committee is providing ham and scalloped potatoes and beverages.
More pictures from Music Camp 2019
The Messiah Music Camp Website can be found at www.musiccamp.mlutheran.org