India Children’s Choir impresses

Published 1:38 am Friday, July 4, 2008

Young voices could be heard from the Fountain Lake Gazebo Thursday night following the Third of July Parade. Bibles for the World’s India Children’s Choir gave a special concert to 100 spectators sponsored by Youth for Christ’s Prairie River Camp.

“The choir is awesome and everyone needs to hear them,” said camp Assistant Director Renae Groskreutz.

The India Children’s Choir gave a narrative and musical presentation about the history of their people’s transformation from headhunters to ambassadors for Jesus Christ.

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The 22-child choir — with 10 boys and 12 girls ranging 9 to 12 years old — started its nationwide tour in January and will end in November. It has already performed twice in Albert Lea and will give a final performance Friday night at the Bricelyn Lutheran Church.

“We had them last year and wanted them again,” said Groskreutz. The India Children’s Choir is staying at the Prairie River Camp in Bricelyn through Saturday.

Just 100 years ago the people in Manipur, India, were visited by a missionary that began to evangelize the village of head hunters, according to tour bus driver Tim Chisolm. When the missionaries left, the village continued their Christian studies.

“I don’t want to be a head hunter like our forefathers,” sang a young boy. “I want to follow Jesus.”

The choir is made up of fourth-generation converts, said Chisolm.

The tour includes 30 states and 225 concerts, he said. The first India Children’s Choir toured in 1990. It is now on its 14th tour to share the gospel and the story of how the gospel got to the people in Manipur.

“They’re wonderful,” said Ardel Knutson of Hartland who was in town for the parade.

The choir’s tour is organized by Bibles for the World, an organization founded in 1972 with the dream to give the Bible to every family on earth.

In 1955, Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision, along with evangelist Billy Graham brought Rochunga Pudaite, a second generation Christian from the tribe, to Wheaton College in Illinois to translate the entire Bible into their language. Rochunga later developed the Bibles for the World organization.

Now, about 98 percent of the people in Manipur are Christians.