Reunion

This past weekend I was in Wheaton, Illinois at a reunion of the Fox Valley Campus Life Singers, a choral group I was in back in high school. It was a remarkable group both musically and in the relationships we had with each other. I didn't connect all that much with my high school proper and would probably never go to a reunion. I was much more connected with my youth group at church, but this music group was the priority of my life. It was something very special. I found a recording of us about a year ago that somehow had survived 35 years of hot attics and garages. I was able to get it onto a CD and then Googled up our old director and his wife, who was our accompanist, and sent them a copy. A week or so later a volley of emails ensued out of which came the idea to have a reunion. That started a year-long manhunt for about 40 people who had been in the group during a three year span when Sherman and Marti Williams had been directing. I was able to find or account for all but about 6 and about 15 came to the reunion along with some spouses and the Williams. I set up a site on Flickr.com for all the photos and posted the following in the discussion section.
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Okay, this is a bit of a report of sorts mainly for the benefit of those of our number who were not able to attend the reunion this last weekend. I'm hoping others will chime in with their thoughts about it.

We met for the first time at my mom's home in Glen Ellyn. They have a big place with a beautifully landscaped back yard and a big pool. Steve Van Oss and his wife Kym put together all the meals and we started right off with a plentiful table of goodies. Various ones showed up as the afternoon progressed and each was greeted with cheers and claps and hugs. There was an awful lot of laughter and many jokes and stories.

One of the most fun things for me was that Jan Maendler Levin made it. For the sake of the record here and for anyone who wasn't getting my email updates as it unfolded, I had tried and tried to find her over the last year without success. About a month ago I was videotaping a story about a genealogy library in the course of my job. I asked the lady there if she would help me find a few people and she enthusiastically agreed. She found a marriage record and we got the name of Jan's husband. Then in another database she found a phone number. I called and left a message about a month ago and after getting no response, assumed it to be yet another dead end. Then Thursday morning I got a call from Jan! She had been in Africa on a mission trip for a month and had just gotten home the night before! When she asked about the reunion I had to tell her “it starts tomorrow!” Then I suggested she do something crazy and try to get a ticket. Her husband encouraged her to do it, she came, and it was amazing! It was just one of the most significant specific answers to prayer I've been involved with for quite a while. I had a lot of people praying for a long time and the answer came 24 hours before the reunion started. I do believe God was having fun with that one! Jan's story of God's grace in her life since high school was just fantastic. What a joy!

We had terrific catered Italian dinner and then it was over to the brand new giant size Wheaton Bible Church to rehearse. We ran through the first song after 35 years and completely shocked ourselves. We sounded amazing! In the new choir practice room of the new building with superb acoustics we cut off at the end all together with great precision, per our training by Sherman years ago, and the sound just swirled around and lingered over our heads in that big room and it was just magical! We just couldn't get over what it sounded like. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that we all had chills from it. It was just more fun than you can imagine.

So, we sang about five different numbers and then chose two to perform at W.B.C. on Sunday morning. After a good run at rehearsing, we gathered around in a circle and each of us had 15 whole minutes to share our life story. Sherman encouraged us to be praying for the person as they shared that they would be able to express the right things from a whole lifetime that would speak to the others and would allow the others to minister to them. Then the person who had just shared would sit in a chair in the middle of the circle and we would all lay hands on that person and pray for them. Usually four or five or six would pray. This was praying full of tears and laughter and verbal agreements and great power. You could feel the Lord meeting with us. Just great, blessed stuff.

After all these years it was amazing how we all were able to just open up and share such deep things with each other. Most of us have gotten beaten up pretty good along the way. We are a broken bunch. Some have been there and back, some of us are still in the midst. But God's hand was so evident in story after story. I was just hoping that we would somehow be able to recapture just a little bit of the magic we all felt in the group back in high school. There was a quality to the way we were with each other way back then that has profoundly impacted my whole life. To this day I can't quite get my mind around what it was or describe it adequately. Well, that magic was back. Not just a little bit, but even fuller and richer than I remember. I thought my heart would burst. I haven't experienced so much concentrated joy in a very, very long time.

Well we cycled between rehearsing, sharing in the circle, and eating meals until it was showtime on Sunday morning. That went splendidly. Then we had a delicious brunch in a private room at the Arrowhead Country Club. After that we went over to Wendy's house which was nearby and the last two shared; Kerry and then Bob Lamson. Then we did some impromptu singing and just hung out. Various ones had to go until just a few of us were left and finally we let Wendy have her house back.

So much was shared in the circle there is no way to get it down here, nor would that be appropriate to have all documented. Many of us have been through terrible ordeals of various kinds. But all testified to God's grace and goodness to us. And the love just poured out in the prayer. What a privilege to be part of a group when such Holy Spirit stuff starts happening. It blessed my socks off.

I think I'll stop here. I'll probably think of more I'll want to write. I hope you will take a minute to share some of your thoughts and perspective here if you were there. Even if you weren't, feel free to respond or maybe share something from back in the day.

You guys will always hold a very special place in my heart. And someday we'll be together in heaven and the party won't ever have to end!

Love to all,

Dan Philgreen