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Hope for Africa Childrens Choir to perform in Boro
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The Statesboro First United Methodist Church will be hosting The Hope for Africa Children’s Choir in concert on Monday, June 16, at 7 p.m. Known worldwide, the 23-member children’s choir from East Africa will incorporate upbeat music, drama, dance and personal testimonies to present a well-rounded picture of their stories about redemption. Many of the children, ranging in age from 5 to 12, are orphans who have lost their families to violence or AIDS. The children use their talents to help raise awareness of the many obstacles children face around the world today, including war, extreme poverty, hunger and HIV/AIDS. This concert is free and open to the public. - photo by Special
   Statesboro’s First United Methodist Church will soar with voices honed an ocean away Monday night. The Hope For Africa Children’s Choir will perform a concert at 7 p.m. in the church sanctuary.
    The choir is made up of 23 orphans from five African nations and was brought to the United States by the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church.
    The children arrived in April and will perform at churches and other venues around Georgia and the nation through mid-July.
    “It’s hard to imagine how much these children have had to deal with in their lives,” said Jimmy Cason, District Superintendent for the Statesboro District. “Most of them saw both their mother and father die from HIV-AIDS. Yet they are hopeful, beautiful and bright. They sure can sing, too”
    The choir is traveling with Bishop Daniel Wandabulla of the East Africa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. The children are natives from the African nations of Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda and the Sudan.
    Cason, who oversees the 82 UMC churches that make up the Statesboro District, said the boys and girls in the choir range in age from 5 to 13.
    “The 5-year-old is the hit of the show,” Cason said. “Everyone wants to take him home.”
    Cason said the children live in Uganda at the Humble Place Orphanage. Humble Place was built several years ago with the help of missionaries from the South Georgia Conference.
    “It’s a school and orphanage for 248 children,” Cason said. “It’s a remarkable place for some remarkable children.”
    There is no charge for Monday night’s concert. People are asked to donate to a love offering at the concert.
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