<< Front page Arts March 5, 2004

Gospel Conference rocks Finney in final concert

Believe 2004: The Nubian Gents show their stepping skill in Finney Chapel Saturday night.
 

Last Saturday was the culmination of the Gospel Conference, Believe 2004. The poster could be seen everywhere on campus marking the anticipation of the evening program at Finney Chapel. The leadership team included a host of students and faculty who helped to make the event a success, inviting guests like the Nubian Gents ministry, Reggie Alvarez of the International Christian Brotherhood, Sharon Koh, a minister and student of theology, and Oberlin’s own Voices for Christ gospel choir.

Junior Dimy Jeannot opened the program with an air of excitement and gratitude towards the anxious crowd. He announced that prizes would be given away to sections of the crowd that made the most noise when cued by music. Candy and t-shirts were thrown all in preparation of a DVD Player giveaway.

Voices for Christ took the stage dressed in black, directed by senior Janice Reddick. She and the choir spurred the audience with a song in the call and response tradition. Junior Jermaine Gardener accompanied the choir on the piano, enhancing the choir’s reverent harmonies. The hand clapping and vibrant tones couldn’t help but make the audience smile and attempt to sing along.

Sharon Koh, who is a student at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., explained the quandary of “man” and his relationship with God. Although she was a biology major in college, she expressed her calling even the, with the philosophical questions of God and the existence of brutality in the world. “If God is good and all powerful then why is there evil in the world?” Koh asked the audience with sincerity. Koh then laid out that since “the fall of man” people have moved farther and farther from the spiritual realm. Her explanation was a testament to her commitment to pursuing a “deeper intimacy with her Lord Jesus Christ.”

Then the Nubian Gents took the stage – dancing, stepping and moving their bodies to the rhythms of a gospel track. They wore vibrant red and blue t-shirts while stomping and slapping complicated beats on the stage. The organization and choreography attested to the time and effort that these young men put forth. Some of them looked as young as seven years old, yet they held their own amongst complex moves and formations. One of the most astounding and exciting parts of the program was the popping and locking skill exhibited by some of the these young men, sliding across the stage and mesmerizing the audience. In addition to this display of skill and talent they got the audience involved by teaching a dance that excited them and made them laugh with and at each other.

Alvarez told his story in an honest way, expressing why he gave his life to Christ, overcame his addiction to drugs and forgave his abusive father that deserted him at a young age. Alvarez has traveled with the Nubian Gents for three years and has lived in Europe for a year to continue his ministerial work. Voices for Christ performed again with two slow selections. One was directed by junior Joseph Copeland. The program took on a meditative air.

This program marked the conclusion of the Gospel Conference, and was an effort to reclaim notions of Christianity. The notorious events in the history of Christianity combined with negative personal experiences have caused an attitude of antagonism towards the religion. The down-to-earth quality of this program helped to possibly revise these ideas and views of Jesus in the minds of Oberlin students.


 
 
   

The Review News Service: News, weather, sports and more, in your ObieMail every Sunday and Wednesday night. (Click here to subscribe.)