The last 48 hours in the Carolinas have been fun-filled and beautiful!! Since the devil went down to Georgia, it felt only right that we might pay the blue devils a visit at Duke University! Youth elder Chris Rosselot took control as our tour guided and showed us the gorgeous chapel. Afterward, we headed to First Presbyterian Church of Durham. We were thrilled to welcome Shallowford family and friends of Ella Hopkins, Grace Moseley, Evelyn Rosselot, and Francesca Mariano. We also made our Facebook LIVE debut which was tons of fun (17 shares already!)--if you didn't get a chance to see it, follow SPC Youth on Facebook--and celebrated with ice cream!

Today we headed from North to South Carolina with a pit stop in Concord, NC for lunch and a movie. We laughed along with Secret Life of Pets 2, spent plenty of time scouring the mall for new kicks and trendy tops, and ran into our Atlanta neighbors Decatur United Methodist who were also on a choir tour of their own. We landed in Rock Hill, SC this evening and were greeted by a delicious Mexican dinner at Oakland Avenue Presbyterian Church. Jimmy Moore gave us a brief history of the church since his family members were charter members and donated the beautiful stain glass window in the chancel. The youth sang a beautiful performance and loved seeing the Shallowford friends and family of Jimmy Moore, Lizzie Smith-Purcell, Chris Rosselot, Evelyn Rosselot, Carter and Noah Milton!

As we close this chapter of our 2019 tour blog, we are overwhelmed by the 8 chaperones who have faithfully, tirelessly, and patiently served for the last 10 days. It takes a village, and we cannot say enough wonderful things about these leaders. Please take a moment to reach out and thank Kate Moore, Rebekah Boles, Jimmy & Miffy Moore, Teresa & Bruce Morris, Glen McDonnell, & Jon Milton. 

And with that, we'll see you tomorrow at 4pm for the Homecoming Concert!!

We have loved spending the last two days in Baltimore, MD and have especially enjoyed getting to see the Sun for the first time on our tour!! We got dropped off on Tuesday afternoon in downtown Baltimore and scattered across the city for lunch--some of us enjoying fresh seafood by the by while other indulged in the unique Baltimore lunch spots such as Chick-Fil-A, Shake Shack, & Chipotle...when in Rome. After lunch we gathered together for a boat tour of the Harbor. Boat tours are always our favorite, but this particular one was especially enjoyable because of the PERFECT weather (some of you might remember the chilly Chicago architecture tour we took last year). We managed to capture our annual SIBLING pictures too!

In the evening, we head to the Salvation Army Recovery Center for our liveliest audience yet!! With lots of crowd participation, our youth seemed most joyful at this performance. We loved having the Milton cousins with us too!! Afterward, we listened to life-stories, played basketball & soccer, and enjoyed interacting with the men. This ARC tradition will live on because it is so impactful for our young people as the build new relationships.

The next morning we got to enjoy Baltimore even more as we headed to the aquarium! Our favorites were the Dolphin show (where we sat in the splash zone), the jellyfish experience (no youth were harmed in this activity), and the puffins!! We were able to commemorate this experience with several purchases included stuffed animals and other aquatic themed items. We took one more sweep around Baltimore for lunch so that we could truly soak up the beautiful harbor. We managed to find more stuffed animals including the unique Baltimore-experience of Build-A-Bear, you've probably never heard of it...when in Rome.

We ended our evening in Woodbridge, VA at First United Presbyterian Church of Dale City where we were given the biggest potluck buffet we've had yet! Our youth were well-fed and happy and there was an awesome turnout from their congregation. We were excited to welcome back SPC Friends Cece & Savannah Walker to the stage for our finale song! Our chaperone, Kate Moore, also welcome family and granddaughter to enjoy the concert.

Durham bound today!! Please pray for health, joy, and endurance for the journey,. Please enjoy the pictures below and some videos from our concerts thus far!

​Cantate Domino - https://youtu.be/0dr1P0IqMqA


Hold Me, Rock - https://youtu.be/1kqQiAo_qUs


Welcome - https://youtu.be/UElSCo3l6zk


Bound for Jubilee - https://youtu.be/SulSYqM4U2M


Old Man Noah - https://youtu.be/eMcDLD3lXa4


I Believe - https://youtu.be/M1VeRF_ZQVs


Be Not Afraid - https://youtu.be/GRBKq9lRWHo

And it’s alright!!! Hopped on the bus this morning to head to our farthest destination in Baltimore, MD. We began our day together with a devotional about the fruits of the Spirit to recenter our hearts and spirits after our day-off. We invite you to take a moment to engage along with us:

​22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

What fruit of the Spirit comes most naturally to you?
What fruit of the Spirit is most challenging for you?
Sat a prayer asking God to guide you with the challenging fruit and prayer for your Chapel Choir loved one.

Yesterday we had a great and wet adventure to Busch Gardens. We rode coasters, watched shows, and ate....sugar. Besides all of that, backpacks were lost and recovered, romances blossomed and everyone had fun despite the downpour!

We finished our evening at Golden Corral for the second night in a row. Now, while I was initially a hater, I have to say that I have changed my mind—we had plenty of vegetables, fresh fruits, and other healthy options to choose from each night. Whether or not the youth spent their time at the dessert bar is a moot point.

Ans so today, we welcome the sunshine in Baltimore and look forward to exploring by sea and land. Our youth are so excited to perform tonight at the Salvation Army Recovery Center, always a favorite, and this year they are bussing in men from other ARCs in the area to enjoy the music.

Please continue to pray for us and thank you for practicing the fruit of the Spirit: patience as we experience technical difficulties with our video uploads. For now, enjoy these fun shots from yesterday!


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Stepping back in time to last night, the youth performed at the beautiful Williamsburg Presbyterian Church. The acoustics inside the sanctuary were unlike any other with amazing sounds and powerful vibrations. We had a very special treat when 8 brave elementary souls joined our youth choir for two songs! Hoping we can recruit them for Chapel Choir 2025. Special shout out to our Chapel Choir friends and family of Amanda Kiefer and Ben Lang.

After the concert, we all escaped away to our home-stays before reuniting for Sunday morning worship. Not sure if you felt it or not, but the Spirit was moving today (Pentecost pun intended). Our Chapel Choir sleepily rose to the occasion to sing for TWO worship services and had the special treat of witnessing Confirmation Sunday for 4 of their students.

After all of that singing, we wandered into Merchants Square for the Art & Music Festival and, well, lunch. Then, all of a sudden, we found ourselves transported to the heart of Colonial Williamsburg. Dressed in petticoats, breeches, and stockings, colonial townspeople guided us through the local apothecary and wig shop as well the blacksmith workshop and armory. Most of our youth left this excursion wishing that churning butter was a viable option for their future career. Needless to say, we made several new friends (see below).

We finished our evening alongside two of our new friends as they guided us on a ghost tour. Don’t worry, we managed to close out the ghost tour in song alongside one of our storytellers! Nothing scary about that!!

Videos to come soon, thank you for your patience!

After a wonderful concert at Davidson College PC, kids and chaperones all had home stays with members of the congregation. Last night, the church hosted an amazing potluck dinner! Nothing like home cooked food on the road.
After a tour of the campus, led by Anne Cooke, we hit the road for Greensboro. Looking like over choice for lunch again today, which is a great problem to have with this many folks! The weather is cool with some rain, so we will spend the afternoon exploring the science center, complete with aquarium, zoo, and museum!
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Monday was a full and exciting day!  We headed into the city for some shopping and sight-seeing activities.  Small groups headed out to explore Chicago before meeting up at the famous “Bean” for a photo op.  Sweatshirts were a popular purchase as the day was a little cold and windy- which we later learned is NOT the origin of the nickname “Windy City”.  Isaac particularly enjoyed his fun-filled day at TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, and H&M (talk about taking one for the team)! Dylan’s Candy Bar and the Chicago Cubs Store were also popular stops, and some of our girls chose to revisit their childhood at the American Girl Store- Chicago.
After some fun photos in Millennium Park , we enjoyed an architectural tour of Chicago via boat.  We had a great tour guide who was well versed in the rich architectural history of the city.  He dispelled the urban myth of “Mrs. O’Leary’s cow” and we learned the likely cause of the Great Chicago Fire was just no rain and plenty of wind…complicated by a wrong address given to the Fire Department!
Dinner at Gino’s Pizza was followed up by a walk to Hancock Tower and a sky-high (although a little cloudy) view of Chicago. Most were brave enough to try the “Tilt Tower”, although it left a few of the chaperones a little “green”!
We had about an hour drive to our hotel in Hobart, Indiana and settled in for the night very quickly.  Sadly, that left us no time to explore the list of “Top 25 Things to Do in Hobart” that Ben Shackleford, Sr. so carefully Googled for us on the way.  Guess we will have to make a trip back someday!

​Here are a couple of links from our Crystal Lake performance!

Little David, Play Your Harp.    https://youtu.be/q04OpsLm32w​

Prayer for Humility.      https://youtu.be/Qp40BSyw-qg

We had a full day today at the Museum of Science and Industry, Lincoln Park Zoo, and the Navy Pier. The kids were well rested after a long day on the road yesterday that culminated in an amazing dinner and concert at First Congregational Church in Crystal Lake, Illinois.  We had a full house and a rousing standing ovation after the concert.  Their church family was so welcoming and generous.  The kids went home with church members for our first homestay of the trip and arrived back at church this morning with tales of going fishing, out for ice cream, trips to a local donut shop, and fun memories with their host families.
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Click on or copy these links to see some video:https://youtu.be/k8D-_pskBlw

https://youtu.be/saCepT8Wcf0

https://youtu.be/rb6WEs3a7d0

We got a little soggy loading the bus this morning, but all were still in good spirits. We started the day at the Museum of Science and Industry, where we learned about too many things to list.  Popular exhibits were the Hall of Mirrors, Glaciers, Natural Disasters, and "You-the Experience".  There was plenty to see and do!
By the time we departed for the Lincoln Park Zoo, the rain had stopped and the sun had come out.  We got to spend several hours at the zoo before the fog rolled in so we headed to Navy Pier for dinner.  The weather made it a little difficult to enjoy the view, but a few still braved the Ferris wheel and we all enjoyed dinner and an evening of fellowship.  All in all, a successful two days!
We are tucked in safely at the hotel, getting rested for our services tomorrow at Ridgefield Crystal Lake Presbyterian.  

We started the day with a trip to Churchill Downs, which was much more interesting than some of the kids had anticipated. The museum was fun, and we enjoyed seeing the hats, touring the track, and most of all, playing the virtual race games.  I think we have a few jockeys in our midst, and some have even added seeing the Derby live to their bucket list (I understand they need to start saving now). We were careful to avoid stepping in any hidden "surprises", lest we make Wednesday‘s beef jerky incident smell like a bed of roses. After lunch in downtown Louisville, we headed to Waterfront Park for some recreation time. Many of the kids, and a few adults, walked the bridge and can now say, “I’ve been to Indiana!”

Later that evening, the choir sang their second concert at the Salvation Army Service Center in Louisville. We had a lovely dinner of baked chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetables (much needed), and salad. We even had the opportunity to learn more about the mission and ministry of Salvation Army. Our kids really felt the love from our hosts and our audience.  After the concert, we served ice cream to the clients and what a gift it was to see our kids in action serving others. They were witnesses and a part of memorable fellowship, and heard the stories of those amazing individuals. 

We made it back to the hotel in plenty of time to let out a little energy in the pool and we even managed to make it to bed at a reasonable hour (although...I can hear a few giggles as I write this).
Thankfully tomorrow is a long bus day with plenty of time for a nap!