Eastern’s Gospel choir, Angels of Harmony, hosted an evening of soulful, celebratory worship on Sunday, March 12. Angels of Harmony kicked the evening off, and everybody in attendance was immediately on their feet, clapping and enjoying their time together. The band consisted of keys, drums and a bass guitar, and the musicians tied the singers together as a cohesive, beautiful group.
Eastern’s spoken word club, AUDACITY, had a few members perform some of their original work throughout the night. Carter Heerema performed his spoken word entitled “King,” which portrayed a conversation between him and God: Heerema says, “I am a misfit, a broken king….I know I am called for greater,” and God replies, “The smallest amount of faith is all that you need.” Cliff Bryant’s spoken word was titled “Paragraphs of Life” and told his story of growing up, what had happened to him up to this point that showed him God wasn’t finished with him just yet. The final member of AUDACITY who performed was Kirsten Connell. Her spoken word was titled “Destined for Greatness,” after the name of the entire evening, and included inspiring messages such as promises that God uses everyone, no matter what. She spoke about the imperfect characters in the Bible whom God used for His glory and quoted C.S. Lewis when she emphasized that God uses ordinary people for extraordinary tasks.
EU seniors David Quinones and Somer Jordan used their gifts of singing to continue to bless the evening. Quinones sang two songs he had rewritten from popular secular songs. First he sang a version of Chris Brown’s “Don’t Judge Me,” which he had rewritten to portray feelings of being talked about instead of prayed about. He also sang John Legend’s “All of Me,” which he had rewritten to say, “I’m giving all of me, ‘cause you gave all of you,” ultimately changing the meaning of the song entirely–a powerful decision on Quinones’ part. Jordan played the keyboard as she sang “Bloodstained Banner/Song of Victory.” She got the audience involved with her next song, snapping and clapping along as she sang “Peace.”
Eastern’s step team, Blaze, took the stage next and did not disappoint. They put forth praise through rhythm as their performance was dynamic and mighty. Tierra Brown performed an expressive dance to “Greater Is Coming” by Jekalyn Carr in which she beautifully embodied power as she left all of herself on the stage.
After a time of communion, Angels of Harmony closed out the evening with a few final songs. Some were exploding with energy, while others brought it back down to a smooth, peaceful conclusion. A blessing was sent with the seniors, which I believe everyone took to heart as the evening came to an end: “Don’t forget who you belong to as you get out there and change the world.”