Park Cities chorale sings at White House
___By Ken Camp
___Texas Baptist Communications
___DALLAS--When members of the Park Cities Baptist Church chorale learned they would sing at the White House, they expected it to be the thrill of a lifetime.
___But they never realized their gift of Christmas music would be so deeply appreciated and needed by the White House staff.
___The chorale, a 22-voice auditioned group from the church's sanctuary choir, sang carols in the East Room of the White House Dec. 7.
___Terry Goolsby, minister of worship and music at Park Cities Baptist Church, initially contacted the White House in mid-summer to explore the possibi
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PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH CHORALE
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lity of the group performing a Christmas concert. Goolsby had taken a choir to the White House in 1996 when he served a church in Richmond, Va..
___"Then Sept. 11 came along, and we didn't know what that would mean. By October, I was telling the chorale that the White House concert was looking iffy," he recalled.
___But about that time, he received word that the invitation had been granted. The White House currently is closed to the public. But Goolsby learned that it would be decorated for the holiday season, and the concert would be open to volunteers, staff, their families and other elected officials in Washington, D.C.
___The chorale and their accompanist, Christina Harmon, arrived at the White House two and a half hours prior to their performance to receive security clearance. The group passed through four security checkpoints before finally arriving in the East Room.
___Neither President Bush nor the First Lady was able to attend the concert. He was in Norfolk, Va., at a memorial service marking the 60th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
___But several hundred members of the White House staff and others passed through the East Room during the chorale's two-hour performance.
___After the concert, when the group was granted a private tour of the White House, they learned just how meaningful their presence had been to the staff and their families. Even Secret Service agents were "outgoing" in expressing their gratitude, Goolsby noted.
___"An administration representative who greeted us broke down and cried as she talked about the strain the staff has felt," Goolsby said. "She told me: 'It just didn't seem like Christmas around here this year. What a difference it made to have you sing for us.'"
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