SUNY Oswego’s Gospel Choir sings with Pastor Smokie Norful!

On Friday, January 29, SUNY Oswego held its 27th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, inviting  two exceptional people to be a part of the event: Dr. Bernice King and Pastor Smokie Norful. Dr. Bernice King is the youngest daughter of the famous and influential Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Pastor Smokie Norful is a Grammy Award-winning Gospel artist.

12604846_10203908992003490_2384169435312937115_o  As a part of SUNY Oswego’s Gospel Choir, the choir and I got to join Pastor Norful and his three talented back-up singers on stage to sing his new song, “Mighty God” from his album Forever Yours.

We were more than excited to hear that we weren’t going to do a cover of Pastor Norful’s song, but, instead we were going to sing it with him. Over the winter break, each choir member had to practice on his/her own, since there would only be a week  left to practice once we returned back to the university. Gospel Choir’s vice  president, Kristen “K-Ray” Ray, took the liberty of making a recording that comprised of each note pertaining to what the altos, sopranos, and tenors would have to sing.

While on stage with Pastor Norful, the choir and I joined the back-up singers in dance and song. We were alive, while singing live (not really a pun, but eh…). Along with the live band and Pastor Norful’s encouraging presence, the choir made a joyful noise!

When Dr. King appeared on stage after her introduction, I was excited and curious to get to listen to her speech. Excited because she was the daughter of Dr. King Jr., the man who I read about in textbooks; the man whose name would be printed on my quiz papers; the man who made a famous speech about having a dream, a speech that took to its audience in 1963 and, still, does so today.  I was curious to know who Dr. Bernice King is. During her speech, Dr. King inspired me to think about how my actions could affect others. I was able to grasp the understanding that making a change would not be easy, unless you were willing to be self-less and passionate towards your peers. Dr. King’s wise words ignited something in me, that raised the question, “What changes do I need to make internally?”

To hear from both Dr. King and Pastor Norful was a great experience, an experience that I will hold dear to me.

Below is a video of Dr. King speaking at SUNY Oswego:

 

About the Author

Hey I'm Tian (T-ann). It’s fancy like that. I'm a junior here at SUNY Oswego and a Public Relations major and Creative Writing minor. I live in Westchester County, but Oswego is my home away from home.
Email: tburte@oswego.edu
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