Two Members of the Abbey North Drummers Visit Brandon & Winnipeg, MB October 23 to 26, 2009.
After a hectic three weeks of drumming and promoting the Dondi Project in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Bazza Hayward and Chris Cullen arived in Brandon. While in Brandon, they put in a busy day by taping a TV appearance for WCG-tv, which will be aired on the local channel several times over the next six months. Following an evening performance at the Central United Church, they drove to Winnipeg, arriving well after 1:00 am, Bazza and Chris soon greeted the break of dawn for a Men's Breakfast at Sturgeon Creek United Church.
The breakfast was a good opportunity to inform the men from this congregation of the background and development of the Dondi Project, a plan to raise a million dollars to rebuild the school established in 1914.
(pictures were taken at the Day Care Center in Winnipeg. It is easy to see that Bazza enjoys working with the kids and they responded by donating funds to the project. Teachers, workers and the kids all put money in for the project.)
The Drummers then supported Sunday morning worship, playing for the hymn of supplication with the choir and congregation, and looking forward to the Musical Surprise at the center of the worship service - even after finding out the surprise was the Abbey North Drummers!
Sunday evening saw the drummers return to the church for an evening fundraising concert. In spite of some people wondering how two drummers would produce a worthy evening of entertainment, Bazza and Chris brought out from their trailer of treasures a significant number of instruments, drums of all types, shakers, tamborines, sticks, gourds, various percussion instruments, and spread them across the stage.
Nearly 60 people filled the center rows of the sanctuary, and watched the video that the Mens Ministries Network, Abbey North Drummers and the United Church Social Justice wing created, from a trip to the Dondi Mission in Angola Africa. After a short description of the work of the Dondi Project, the involovment of the AOTS and Men's Ministries Network, and where the Abbey North Drummers fit into the picture, everyone in the audience was invited to come forward and pick one of the instruments, and take a place on stage. Then Bazza began to mix his magic of enthusiasm, encouragement and eager leadership, enticing out of the audience a stunning performance, for which no one had any practice or even awareness that they would be performing!
A free will offering was taken in a way that was consistent with what was experienced in Angola, everyone was asked to come forward and with their offereing scrunched in one hand, walk past a canvas bucket, and reach in, and drop the contents of their hand, whether it was money, an envelope or even an empty hand (acknowledging that even their presence at the drumming event was a gift in itself).
With some 60 people attending, the group raised a total of 752 dollars cash and cheques, and a number of people agreeing to take home literature, an make donations directly to the United Church over the next days.
There was a strong contingent of AOTS men from the various clubs in Winnipeg, many of whom expressed strong interest in future performances when the group would be able to return to Winnipeg. Plans started forming for a spring tour, with the contacts made, being able to take advantage of the AOTS plan, the power of ten.
Monday morning, the group again greeted early morning to attend the Military Family Resource Center Daycare and perform with some 50 children aged 2 to 5. The hour long concert was a welcome diversion for the staff and students at the facility, and again a donation was made to the Dondi Project.
With all cash donations and cheques nearing $1,250, the seeding tour of Manitoba, by the Abbey North Drummers was a very good success, and suggests there will be a strong future for this project.
It's time for anyone within travelling distance of Riding Mountain in Manitoba, to consider going to the annual Riding Mountain Conference of Churchmen, otherwise known as Men's Camp. This year, the camp will be held on 10, 11 and 12 June, and as always, at Camp Wannacumbac, the Riding Mountain Conference Centre. Our speaker will be Bob Wiebe, who will speak on the topic, "Be all you can be for God's service!"
Picture: (reading left to right) - Elgin Hall, Keith Robertson, Herman Klassen, Ron Petch, Don Jones, Neil Cameron, president Alf Iverson, Keith Wallace, Bob Fehr, Harvey Douglas - missing from the picture is Clayton Searle (charter member), Bob Bertram, Bill Campbell and Ron Hladun
