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THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2002

Church youth choir to perform

Kettering group sings songs written by music director

By HELEN BEBBINGTON For the Dayton Daily News

KETTERING — Church music director Frederick Chatfield couldn’t find a suitable musical for the youth choir about the trials of keeping the faith, so he wrote one.

Faithseekers! will be performed by members of the youth choir at Christ United Methodist Church in Kettering. The play will be performed at 3 p.m. Sunday at the church, 3440 Shroyer Road, and is open to the public. Admission is free.

“It speaks well to adults; it is a mature piece,” said Chatfield, the music director and organist at Christ United.

Faithseekers! was written and composed by Chatfield and Geoffrey Robinson in 1991. The 50-minute play is a series of vignettes that show hikers on a journey during which they explore their faith.

“They have places where they encounter joyful experiences, places where they encounter doubt,” Chatfield said.

“I just think the message is really important,” said Heather Creek, 17, a senior at Oakwood High School and a performer in the play.  Creek has performed the play three times and helped update the choreography two years ago, when the play was last performed.  “You find things in it each time you do it,” Creek said. “I used to think the more important parts were the deep, meaningful songs. Now, I think the humor is equally important.”

Creek, who plans to major in ballet in college, said Faithseekers! does not have a great deal of dancing, but she and others changed the choreography to make the play more interesting.  “It’s not your typical musical; there’s not a lot of dancing,” she said. “We’ve added in a few more things this year.”

The musical is in a contemporary pop style and includes a rap song, Chatfield said. There is one traditional hymn, Amazing Grace, which the audience can sing along to, he said.

The musical is done by the church’s youth choir every two years. They also take it on tour every other year for a week during the summer, Chatfield said.

The 24 cast members tour in June, when they will perform for churches in Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, he said. The teens will stay with host families during the tour.

The teens “view it as an outreach ministry,” Chatfield said. “When we go on tour, we feel we’re sharing a special ministry. It’s been quite well-received. They learn no matter where they are in their faith journey, they’re still in the faith.”

Chatfield said he began writing the musical after finding the musical plays available for youths did not convey the ups and downs of faith, which he believes many face.

One of the songs, a rap song, was “written at a time when rap wasn’t as big as it is now,” he said. “Rap has only gotten bigger, so it keeps it relevant.”  Program

“We have not published it,” Chatfield said. “When you turn this over to a publisher, they become the owner.’ It’s such a personal statement, I’m reluctant to do that. It belongs to us.”  Free

“It’s a really good experience to see how we can affect other people’s lives,” said Adam Williamson, 16, a junior at Kettering Fairmont High School.  Williamson, who toured when the choir last did the musical two years ago, will have a rap solo, performing part of the The Map Rap.  Excel List

“The whole musical itself puts out a message that searching for your faith is hard,” he said. “Everybody goes through it. God will always be there for you.”