BUIES CREEK, North Carolina – Supporting local congregations has always been part of the Campbell University Divinity School’s mission. That’s why Campbell Divinity has sponsored or co-sponsored the Segue Youth Choir Concert for the past five years, including this year’s concert held Saturday night in a packed Butler Chapel, said Dr. Larry Dickens, the Duncan Chair and Associate Professor of Church Music at Campbell Divinity.
Youth choir ministries in the region have struggled in recent years, many even ending, Dickens said. But these choirs have the “power and potential to impact the lives of teenagers in positive and transformative ways.”
Snyder Memorial Baptist Church, in Fayetteville, saw that in 2011 when its youth choir — 110 strong — performed at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. They wanted to help other youth choirs have similar experiences. Campbell Divinity did, too.
So the two formed a partnership and the Segue Youth Choir Concert. Now in its fifth year, the event brings youth choirs in the region together to perform a concert and to encourage them, help them connect with others, and take their ministries to the next level. Segue’s name draws from its purpose to help choirs “make a transition from one thing to another smoothly,” Dickens said.
The first concert was held at New Hope Baptist Church in Raleigh, and the past two have been held at Butler Chapel on Campbell’s main campus.
About 160 youth and 60 adult chaperones from eight local churches participated in this year’s concert. Dr. Aaron Rice, director of choral activities at Chowan University, served as the guest conductor, and Kerrie Clayton of the First Baptist Church in Smithfield was the volunteer coordinator. Campbell Divinity students also filled leadership positions.
The highlight of this year’s concert for Dickens? The Segue choir performing Mark Hayes’ anthem of assurance, “To Love Our God.”
Some music directors weren’t sure how their youth choirs would fare performing a challenging piece that can frustrate singers. The text is complex, and the arrangement is difficult.
But accompanied by a piano, organ and small string section, the choirs’ presentation moved the crowd and became a student favorite.
“It was truly moving,” Dickens said. “I hope students caught the vision and received a passion for the youth choir experience. There is nothing like it.”
After the concert, on Sunday, the youth choirs performed at six local churches, providing another outreach opportunity for Segue and Campbell Divinity.
“The students we reach through Segue represent the present and the future,” Dickens said. “We consider it an honor to be involved in their lives.”
Segue is also a natural extension for Campbell Divinity’s commitment to impact the future of the church in the region, including church music and worship. Another example of that: Campbell Divinity is the only one in North Carolina to offer a graduate level concentration in church music.