Martin First Assembly to host African children's choir

The Martin First Assembly Church will be having a musical program on Friday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m. featuring the Watoto Children’s Choir.

Watoto, a holistic care program created to serve needs in Africa, is happy to present their new choir tour called “Beautiful Africa: A New Generation.” The production will consist of African music, dance routines and life-transforming stories. The choir has traveled since 1994 as ambassadors for the millions of children in Africa who were left orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS, war, and poverty. Each of the children in the choir has suffered the loss of either one or both parents. They live in the Watoto Children’s Villages where they are nurtured and cared for.

“It is a blessing for us to be a part of this ministry with the Watoto Children’s Choir,” said Dave Reinhard, pastor of Martin First Assembly.

Reinhard said he first learned about the choir from a friend, Thomas Simpson, a former youth minister at First Assembly in Jackson, Tenn.  Simpson called and said that the choir was in this area and asked if he would be interested in having them come and perform at his church. Simpson and his wife, Mika, first learned about the choir during a mission trip to Uganda. They visited the Watoto Children’s Village, where one woman is assigned to care for 8 children. The woman is usually a widow, so this arrangement is a healing process for both the caretaker and the children.

“Through the choir’s concert of hope, we share a message of transformation by telling the story of Africa’s rescued orphans and women. We hope to reach out to audiences with the message of Christ’s healing power,” said Gary Skinner, Watoto’s founder.