Stake Christmas Fireside

Hi all! This is Liz. So many of us blog here lately, I feel I have to introduce myself :)

Tonight was our Stake Christmas Music Fireside. It was beautiful and filled with the spirit. I am on the stake music committee and was the director for some of the music pieces. It was fun being on the planning committee. We had each ward in the stake perform a special musical number. There were choirs, small groups, soloists, pianists, etc . . . We had a great turn out. The pews were packed and the chairs were full to half way to the back of the gym (in a Stake Center, that's pretty big).

Right before it began, the Stake President came to the stand and shook my hand to greet me. He asked me "are you singing tonight?" I said "No, not tonight. I'm leading some music is all." Apparently that was not the answer he wanted to hear and said "yes you are!" I said again shaking my head "no, not tonight". He said "yes. yes, you are. What is your favorite Christmas hymn?" I just looked at him stunned and said "Are you serious?" He smiled and nodded very seriously. I quickly scanned through the hymnbook Christmas section and came across "The First Noel". I remembered singing it a few years ago at our ward Christmas program and knew it was in my range. I told him my selection and he said "you and President Johnson can sing that at the end!" and he got up and asked the organist if he'd be willing to accompany us to The First Noel. ACK!!! Sure enough as we began the program, it was announced that President Johnson and I would be singing.

So towards the end of the program, President Johnson (the 2nd counselor in the Stake Presidency) and I got up and sang an impromptu rendition of The First Noel. He sang melody and I sang the alto harmony. It actually turned out quite nicely and I was honored to sing with him - he has a fabulous tenor voice. President Draper was pleased. Afterwards, I said to a friend "I should get a 'get out of a calling free' card for doing that!"

So if any of you have ever been called up at the last minute in a meeting to bear your testimony --- just be glad you didnt have to sing!