The Junior Chamber Choir learned songs in German, Latin, Spanish and Portuguese — but always stayed focused on singing for the Lord. 

“It helped to know that we were singing for the Lord, not the judges,” Mrs. DeJager said.

Each year ensembles from sixth to twelfth grade are invited to submit applications and recordings for the chance to be invited and perform at State. Timothy’s Jr. Chamber Choir, which is composed of 6th through 8th graders, was one of the eight middle and high school choral ensembles to be selected. Mrs. DeJager, the conductor of the choir, often thought: “Why did I say yes to this?” 

Then, she would just listen to the students and the answer became clear. “They were simply outstanding and needed to be heard,” she says. 

You could feel God's presence as the choir sang.

The choir sang in an eight part unison, not only in English, but also in German, Latin, Spanish, and Portuguese. During the performance they sang with joy and reflected who they were meant to sing for, the Lord. After the performance, reputable choral directors expressed that they were moved to tears and that you could feel God’s presence as the choir sang. 

Mrs. DeJager reminded her students to focus on performing and praising their Heavenly Father, rather than worrying about the judges and the audience. Her goal was to teach them that they can be ambassadors for the Lord and make beautiful music together. It was an ambitious program for the students, but they never backed down from trying new things and they only got better through the event. 

“Nothing compares to seeing our students succeed, shine, and grow into a deeper and more personal relationship with Christ,” Mrs. DeJager says. “Music is a wonderful way to make that happen.”