Friday/Saturday

On Friday we had a long drive to Dutenhofen. This is near the community where Connie Taylor and her family served as IMB Missionaries. Connie is an AC alumnae, is singing on this tour and has done a great job with translating during the concerts. When Connie was here, she directed a handbell choir. That choir came to First Baptist, Decatur about 8 years ago and played in worship. When I got off the bus, a lady came right to me and said, “you are Chip! I remember you!” It was fun to see some of them again. This is a very alive and healthy church. They fed us a wonderful meal and the concert was very well attended. At dinner, a ladies guitar ensemble played a couple songs for us before the Burgermeister (Mayor) gave us an official welcome to the village and gave us some interesting history of the church and community. The church is a very old and beautiful building. After the concert, we had a long drive to Stuttgart where we checked into our hotel. After a short night, we boarded the plane and headed for home. We had an unexpected surprise just before boarding the airplane. My good friend Julie Cook, who is on the Music Ministry staff at FBC Jonesboro, Georgia, looked up at the gate to see her husband John coming towards her. John is a pilot with Delta and swapped routes with someone to be able to fly us home. I have not seen John in a long time so it was fun to reconnect. Plus, I figured that since one of his most precious possessions on planet Earth was on this plane, he’d do everything possible to ensure we arrive safely in Atlanta. This tour has been a great experience and I am so very thankful I was able to participate. For me it has been the “Thanksgiving Tour!” It has made me grateful on so many levels. I realize that the training and musical experiences I had under Dr. Black in the A Cappella Choir were very, very special, and to get the opportunity to relive that experience once again is a huge blessing. DB’s influence on my life and ministry cannot be calculated. In typical “MB fashion,” she had every detail covered and I am thankful for Mama B and all her hard work to make this possible. I am also thankful for the mission fire that was stoked in my heart through the concert tours and tent missions in Germany. It was great to see strong and healthy churches, even in the East where just a few years ago we could not have visited, much less sing about Christ. What a blessing! I will never forget the concert in Schmalkalden where I was able to share a testimony about visiting the border in 1988 just a few kilometers from where we sang this trip. Who would have believed that wall would come down and God would revitalize evangelical churches in the East? Then to have the opportunity to sing in Weimar, where Rick and Nancy Dill and the girls poured out their lives and ministry was a highlight. I have visited there several times before, but had not yet seen the new church building. To see this church thriving is a thrill! The Dills invested so much in the leadership of this church and God continues to shine His light through them. Another blessing I have pondered is the endless treasure of rich friendships that God has allowed me to form through this choir. To look around the choir this week (not while DB is conducting, of course J) and realize the abundance of spiritual depth and musical gifts is astonishing. I am especially thankful for the opportunity I had to room with Joe Estes. Joe is Minister of Music at FBC Trussville where my close friend Buddy Champion is pastor. Joe is an ultra talented musician and has a minister’s heart the size of Europe! I feel blessed beyond measure to even be part of this exceptional group of people. Thanks to all who have been following along and praying us through. It’s been a real “battery charger” for me and again, I am very thankful to my friend and pastor Jay Wolf and the First Baptist Church, Montgomery Missions Factory for allowing me to participate. Finally, my sweet and beautiful Christy never hesitated when I began to consider going. She is eternally supportive and I cannot wait to see my three shining stars when I get off this plane! I am blessed. Thank you, Lord! Hebrews 12:1-2 chip

Thursday

After another great day, we are back at the hotel. We were able to sleep in a little late this morning and had time to walk around the Christmas Market in Erfurt. We are in a beautiful and very historic part of Germany. Walking around the market is almost surreal. The sights, sounds and smells of the market definitely give you that “gingerbread feeling!” (to quote my friend Bruce Morgan.) We loaded the bus and headed to the nearby town of Weimar. Weimar is loaded with history. As you drive into town, you pass the Buchenwald Concentration Camp. I took a tour of that camp on a previous visit to Weimar. It is one of a few of the camps that was not destroyed. In the town square, there was a small but beautiful Christmas Market. The chocolate and cream crepe was my personal favorite! Weimar was one of the great cultural centers of Europe and home to Bach and Goethe and Franz Liszt. It has a world famous music school today. We went to the church where we were served a wonderful meal. After our devotional time, we sang to a full house. I was in the first tent mission we did here in 1994. Rick and Nancy Dill planted this church and Rick pastored the church until recently when they moved back to Alabama to care for aging parents. It is a strong and healthy congregation. At the end of the concert, a church leader posed a question to the congregation. He asked, “what is the most beautiful of all the instruments?” Of course, he was reminding them that the human voice is the only instrument God created and the greatest and most beautiful. They seemed to love the music and were very responsive. Someone from the church told us after the service that they were excited that there were many visitors present! We have one more concert tomorrow night and then we’ll head home on Saturday. It has been a wonderful experience and I am so thankful to have had this opportunity and blessing. chip

Wednesday

It’s been another great day! We had breakfast this morning and then departed for our hotel in Erfurt. On the way, we made an impromptu stop in Einsbach. Our bus driver, Stephen, has been driving for Dr. Black’s groups for a number of years. They have built a relationship with him over that time and now he is very open to the Gospel. His wedding anniversary was today and we were driving near his hometown. DB suggested that we stop and surprise his wife. We showed up at the small gift shop where she works and sang to them as he presented her with flowers. After that, we went to the hotel where we had to get changed and head to the concert in Schmalkalden. The drive was once again spectacular. The snow was heavy and very beautiful, especially once we exited the autobahn onto a smaller country road. We are in the former east now and there is a lot of history here. On the 2 hour drive to the church, we passed the castle where Martin Luther was hidden while he continued to translate the Scriptures. We passed the border stop on the autobahn where there is still an old guard tower standing. The visit to the church in Schmalkalden was great. A very good crowd showed up and they were very responsive. I was asked to give a testimony during the concert tonight about our work in Germany. I shared Habakkuk 1:5 (“Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”) I talked about the time in 1988 when we stood on the west side of the border and looked over into the east. That very spot was only a few miles from the church we sang in tonight. I told them that we could not have imagined that we would be singing about Jesus tonight in a Baptist church in what WAS East Germany. And yet, there we were. The crowd smiled big smiles as Connie Taylor, a former IMB missionary to Germany, translated for me. I asked them what God might want to do in the future in their church, in Germany, or in our lives as we partner with them to spread the Gospel! After the service, I met a family who has lived in the east all of their lives. They are very grateful that the wall stands no longer and that they may live and worship in freedom. They seemed to love the music and it was a great encouragement to us as well. It’s late and the internet service in the former east is a little shaky…so I am off to bed. Thanks for keeping up with us and please keep the prayers coming! The first picture is a view from my hotel window and the second was taken as we arrived in the village where we sang tonight!
Three important things back home…
1. Happy Thanksgiving to all
2. Christy…PLEASE save me some dressing!
3. Caroline…I love you.
4. Christopher…please tell me coach has the Tide ready to go!
chip

Tuesday

Right now it is waaay past my bedtime (12:00 midnight) and we have just arrived at our hotel in Wetzlar. It’s been a great day. We had some free time this morning and everyone enjoyed walking around the Christmas Markets. We met back the Cologne Cathedral for a picture and then headed to Siegen. The drive was absolutely amazing. The snow is so pretty against the backdrop of the huge trees, small farm houses and small villages with snow covered rooftops. Once we arrived, the church in Siegen fed us a wonderful meal and then we sang to a full house. They seemed to LOVE the music and the response was warm. It has been amazing to see the impact of 20 year relationships that DB and Mama B have built with churches and friends in Germany. God has certainly used the ministry of the A Cappella Choir to impact many in Germany with the Gospel and encourage hundreds of German Baptist congregations. What a blessing to be part of that great missions ministry. Before our concert tonight, Jeff Stith (Minister of Music at Canaan Baptist Church in Bessemer) led the group in our devotional time. It was especially meaningful. Well, I am off to bed now! chip

Monday

From my hotel window I can see the massive Cologne Cathedral which is just a couple blocks away. This morning we sang in the Cathedral. I have had the privilege of singing in that beautiful place several times. We sang a few songs and drew a crowd pretty quickly. I met some very nice tourists from England after we sang and was able to share with them about what we were doing. After lunch, we loaded the bus and headed to the nearby village of Wiehl. Matthias Eckelmann met us at a retirement home near the church where we ate dinner. Matthias has been a strong leader with the German Baptists for many years. I first met him 20 years ago when we were working with church plants doing the tent missions. It was great to reunite with him and sing in his church. The drive up was absolutely breathtaking. There was a good bit of snow on the ground, in the trees, on the roof tops and even on the roads! After dinner, there was some concern that the snow might preclude our getting up the steep hill to the church and might keep people away from the concert. Our bus driver, however, put chains on the bus tires and we headed up to the church. Shortly after we arrived, people began to come in and before long a very nice crowd had gathered. This seems to be a strong and healthy church and I believe we encouraged them with our singing. An interested thing about these German Baptists…they don’t ever want us to quit! We sang every song we knew and they just kept wanting more. It’s a lot of fun to sing in a setting like that. One highlight of this one was when we sang “Silent Night.” As we sang, they began to sing along (in German of course) with us singing in English. Bill Dixon accompanies that song on guitar. It was a neat moment. Keep praying for us and I will try to keep you posted. chip

Sunday

Wow! What a day. The wake up call came at 6:00 a.m. It was a much needed and VERY restful night of sleep! We drove to the Baptist church in Bottropp. What a wonderful and healthy church. They did a great job of integrating English into their service and made us feel so welcome and a part of all that went on. A highlight was singing the hymns and worship songs together in German and English. As we sang the closing lines to “Blessed Assurance,” I was “filled with His goodness and lost in His love” as I saw a glimpse of Heaven! During the sermon, the pastor would speak a paragraph in German, then a paragraph in English. It was a great message and communicated very effectively (even with the language issues!) A musical group of young adults from the church called “Credo” sang a couple songs and then sang two selections with our choir. Their pianist is the director and was fantastic! They fed us a great lunch and man can those Germans do dessert. I’m going to grow in more ways than one on this expedition! A highlight for me in Bottropp came just after we arrived at the church. I went back outside to let the bus driver know where to park. As I came back into the church, I noticed a couple standing there looking at the sign just outside the church doors. It had an announcement on it about our singing that day, the service times, etc. They had that look that told me they were trying to decide whether or not to come in. I smiled and in my broken German, tried to tell them about our choir coming from the U.S. They came on in and I watched them during the service. They seemed to really enjoy the music and I pray they’ll connect with the church. After lunch, we did a rehearsal and then headed to Essen. We arrived to some snow flurries. We went to a building where our contact had prepared an early dinner meal…(yes, this is the “until we EAT again” tour!) We rehearsed a couple more songs. The first one we sang through was “Still, Still, Still.” As we began to sing, we sang the line “one can hear the falling snow” and we looked out the windows and a heavy snow began. It was quite a moment. Then we headed to the concert site which was a grand and beautiful old cathedral that had been remodeled after the war. The church sponsored the concert and since it was the opening of the Christmas Market, a crowd gathered. We sang to a full house and it was amazing singing in that setting. After the concert, we had an hour to walk through some of the Christmas Market. I wish I could adequately describe this scene, but it was like something from a book. The snow falling, everything beautifully lit with Christmas lights, hundreds of vendors set up along the streets with everything from live Christmas trees, to ornaments, gifts and wonderful things to eat. My personal favorite was the hot chocolate as I was FREEZING! It was truly something to experience. After singing some beautiful Christmas music in our concert, as I strolled through the market with all the Christmas decorations and the snow falling, I thanked the Lord for this wonderful opportunity and then thought about something Jay Wolf, our pastor asks on occasion…“why should the devil have all the good music?” Great point! So I just tried to soak this magical moment I will never forget. We loaded the bus and headed to the hotel for the night. What a day…it was really great! Thanks for reading and I will continue to try to keep you posted. I missed being with FBC Montgomery today and have already heard it was a great day. Sanctuary Choir…I am certain you’ll have a GREAT Christmas rehearsal tonight. Learn that music!! :) I’m off to bed… See the latest video here http://www.e-zekiel.tv/view_video.php?viewkey=992690f20c2d3b370ec7

Friday and Saturday

I left Montgomery at 10:00 a.m. Friday and headed to the Atlanta airport. After checking in, I went to the gate where I found most of the group. We boarded the plane and had a pretty smooth 7 ½ hour flight to Frankfurt. We landed around 7:00 a.m. local time on Saturday morning and found the weather to be cold and snowy! The drive from the airport was scenic with the snow.

After a lunch stop, we proceeded to our hotel in Koln. We had a rehearsal at a local Baptist church and then went to dinner. It was a traditional Germany “schnitzel” meal that was very good. After a LONG travel day/night, we are headed off for a night of rest! J Please continue to pray for our group that we will shine a bright witness for Christ through our ministry of music and encouragement!

It’s been a long day(s), but our tour is off to a great start. I’ll try to post an update with pictures every day. Thanks for following along! chip Check out today's video at www.e-zekiel.tv/view_video.php?viewkey=7a2b30089a025618e1c6

PS #1: TO MIKE KYSER AND THE FBC BROADCAST TEAM...with the combo of my editing deficits and the European challenges (ie: power converting, German internet service, etc.), I am aware the video is less than the FBC standard :)...we'll try to do better tomorrow!

PS:#2: It's now early Sunday morning. The first picture in this post is me and my roommate Joe Estes who is Minister of Music at FBC Trussville. To all who know (and love) me best...NO, Joe does not snore!!! We had a great (and much needed) night sleep!