Inspiring Evening with AfroGospel

a lively gospel evening in the Great Cross Church was the prelude to the mission festival.

The start of the Mission Festival could hardly have been more upbeat and inspiring. On Friday evening, seven singers and five instrumentalists got the Große Kreuzkirche shaking and the large audience clapping along enthusiastically. AfroGospel from Hamburg performs in various locations under the direction of their rousing "frontman" Folarin Omishade.

From the very first moment, he succeeded in captivating the audience and demonstrating not only his vocal skills, but also his qualities as an entertainer. The voices of the six-strong "chorus" also gave the audience goosebumps. Well-known melodies such as "When the Saints Go Marching In" or Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" alternated with lesser-known songs, the content of which was briefly explained beforehand.

The fact that their music is inextricably linked to their faith became clear time and again. "We just prayed", Omishae said after the gospel song "Let It Rain" and added: "And I'm sure God heard it". In the song, rain symbolises the Holy Spirit.

A featured group of pilgrims was also driven by faith and (right at the beginning of the evening after being welcomed by the Deputy Director of the ELM, Thomas Wojciechowski) gave a brief insight into their experiences over the past 200 kilometres by bike. They then presented the new director, Dr Emmanuel Kileo, with a candle with good wishes for his term of office.

Finally, the visitors were given a message to take home with them, which put them in the best possible mood for the mission festival: "we all sang and danced. We won't let joy be taken away from us. We can always choose joy," said Folarin Omishade.