| the Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma |
Dr. Ken Gabrielse is the director of the Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma, organized in 1960 by the Church Music Department of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.
This choral group represents one of most successful male choral organizations in the Southern Baptist Convention. The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma is comprised of over
three hundred & fifty full-time, part-time, bi-vocational, and volunteer ministers of music from across the state.
In addition to church & convention-related concerts, the Singing Churchmen have presented concerts throughout the U.S. and abroad including: the Gaither Praise
Gatherings in Cincinnati and Indianapolis, Medallion Concert Series in Minneapolis, PraiSing I and II in Nashville, and the Baptist World Alliance in Tokyo. They have also
participated in several mission endeavors, namely: Spain, on two occasions; Latvia, Estonia and Russia in 1993; and China in 1996, including concerts in Beijing,
Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hong Kong. In 2003, the SCM traveled to Australia to present concerts & lead training conferences in Sydney, Newcastle, & Brisbane in the
spring of 2003; they also raised more than $25,000 for church planting in New South Wales & in Brisbane. The internationally known Sydney Opera House was a concert
venue for this mission trip, as well as other prominent Concert Halls across the country, and it was truly one of the finest concerts ever performed by the SCM. In 1998,
the SCM, the SCW, and the OBS were invited to provide the music for all of the sessions of the Southern Baptist Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. No other combined
choir or instrumental organization has ever before been asked to participate in the Convention on such a large-scale. In April of 2009, the SCM traveled to Armenia and
to Israel for a concert/mission tour where public concerts were attended by hundreds of people in each country who had no prior affiliation with any evangelical church.
The Churchmen have produced several recordings during their forty-nine year history, including “Foundations”, a live joint concert with the SCW and the OBS in May
of 2005. The most recent SCM recording is entitled “Come to Jesus”.
The purpose of this unique group is to spread the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ through the vehicle of music.
All concerts are open to the public and admission is free. A love offering will be taken and recording products of the Singing Churchmen, Singing ChurchWomen and
Oklahoma Baptist Symphony will be available for purchase at each location. All concerts begin at 7:00 unless otherwise indicated.
(the above was edited from the BGCO website)
2009/2010 Concert Schedule
October 1- FBC, Bethany
October 13- (Small Choir) 100th Anniversary of Pittsburgh Association (McAlester)
November 5- Chisholm Heights, Mustang
November 10- BGCO Annual Meeting with SCW and OBS
January 14- Southern Hills, Tulsa
February 18- Four Small Choirs
FBC, Hollis - FBC, Pawnee - FBC, Antlers - SE, Muskogee
March 25- Five Small Choirs
FBC, Anadarko - FBC, Haskell - FBC, Wynnewood - FBC, Idabel - Memorial, Tulsa
April 22- FBC, Pryor
May 6- Midwest City Area-Wide Concert - location to be confirmed
I joined the Churchmen in 1989, I met a fellow Jim, Jim Bryant of OkC, who was also a rookie. He was one of the first bi-vocational music directors to be accepted into
the group. We made the Russia, China, and Armenian trips. And I believe we were both in the Green group on the Russia trip. We have remained friends these many
years. Joel Jackson and Todd White are two of my other dear friends of the SCM. They were gutsy enough to take a midnight walk around the business area of Sydney,
Australia with Floppo the Clown. And then there is Dr. Bill Green, who has been a tremendous blessing to my life and to my family.
I have truly been blessed because of my association with the Churchmen. It has made a major impact on my limited music ability and knowledge. It has given me a
broader scope of friends and acquaintances in the ministry realm. This involvement has also provided me the opportunity to be involved in major mission projects in
post-communist Latvia, Estonia, and Russia; free Hong Kong and communist China; 'No worries' Australia; and 'Land of Noah' Armenia, the Palestinian West Bank, and
Israel. I have sung on the stage of the Grand Ol' Opry, the Ryman Theater, October Hall, in a leprosy hospital, the Sydney Opera House, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and
hundreds of other venues. And I have been involved in at least half a dozen recording projects. It has been good and fun!
This choral group represents one of most successful male choral organizations in the Southern Baptist Convention. The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma is comprised of over
three hundred & fifty full-time, part-time, bi-vocational, and volunteer ministers of music from across the state.
In addition to church & convention-related concerts, the Singing Churchmen have presented concerts throughout the U.S. and abroad including: the Gaither Praise
Gatherings in Cincinnati and Indianapolis, Medallion Concert Series in Minneapolis, PraiSing I and II in Nashville, and the Baptist World Alliance in Tokyo. They have also
participated in several mission endeavors, namely: Spain, on two occasions; Latvia, Estonia and Russia in 1993; and China in 1996, including concerts in Beijing,
Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hong Kong. In 2003, the SCM traveled to Australia to present concerts & lead training conferences in Sydney, Newcastle, & Brisbane in the
spring of 2003; they also raised more than $25,000 for church planting in New South Wales & in Brisbane. The internationally known Sydney Opera House was a concert
venue for this mission trip, as well as other prominent Concert Halls across the country, and it was truly one of the finest concerts ever performed by the SCM. In 1998,
the SCM, the SCW, and the OBS were invited to provide the music for all of the sessions of the Southern Baptist Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. No other combined
choir or instrumental organization has ever before been asked to participate in the Convention on such a large-scale. In April of 2009, the SCM traveled to Armenia and
to Israel for a concert/mission tour where public concerts were attended by hundreds of people in each country who had no prior affiliation with any evangelical church.
The Churchmen have produced several recordings during their forty-nine year history, including “Foundations”, a live joint concert with the SCW and the OBS in May
of 2005. The most recent SCM recording is entitled “Come to Jesus”.
The purpose of this unique group is to spread the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ through the vehicle of music.
All concerts are open to the public and admission is free. A love offering will be taken and recording products of the Singing Churchmen, Singing ChurchWomen and
Oklahoma Baptist Symphony will be available for purchase at each location. All concerts begin at 7:00 unless otherwise indicated.
(the above was edited from the BGCO website)
2009/2010 Concert Schedule
October 1- FBC, Bethany
October 13- (Small Choir) 100th Anniversary of Pittsburgh Association (McAlester)
November 5- Chisholm Heights, Mustang
November 10- BGCO Annual Meeting with SCW and OBS
January 14- Southern Hills, Tulsa
February 18- Four Small Choirs
FBC, Hollis - FBC, Pawnee - FBC, Antlers - SE, Muskogee
March 25- Five Small Choirs
FBC, Anadarko - FBC, Haskell - FBC, Wynnewood - FBC, Idabel - Memorial, Tulsa
April 22- FBC, Pryor
May 6- Midwest City Area-Wide Concert - location to be confirmed
I joined the Churchmen in 1989, I met a fellow Jim, Jim Bryant of OkC, who was also a rookie. He was one of the first bi-vocational music directors to be accepted into
the group. We made the Russia, China, and Armenian trips. And I believe we were both in the Green group on the Russia trip. We have remained friends these many
years. Joel Jackson and Todd White are two of my other dear friends of the SCM. They were gutsy enough to take a midnight walk around the business area of Sydney,
Australia with Floppo the Clown. And then there is Dr. Bill Green, who has been a tremendous blessing to my life and to my family.
I have truly been blessed because of my association with the Churchmen. It has made a major impact on my limited music ability and knowledge. It has given me a
broader scope of friends and acquaintances in the ministry realm. This involvement has also provided me the opportunity to be involved in major mission projects in
post-communist Latvia, Estonia, and Russia; free Hong Kong and communist China; 'No worries' Australia; and 'Land of Noah' Armenia, the Palestinian West Bank, and
Israel. I have sung on the stage of the Grand Ol' Opry, the Ryman Theater, October Hall, in a leprosy hospital, the Sydney Opera House, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and
hundreds of other venues. And I have been involved in at least half a dozen recording projects. It has been good and fun!
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"End of the Beginning"
Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma
Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma
| Latvia |
| Estonia |
| Hong Kong |
| Russia |
| China |
| Australia |
| Tennessee |
| Oklahoma |
| Idaho |
| Utah |
| Armenia |
| Palestine |
| Israel |