by: Mark Haven Hoyle - Wichita, Kansas
September 21, 2006

From September 1-3, twelve International Churches of Christ came together in Kansas City for the second annual Heartland Jubilee. Over 1000 heard some powerful and inspiring preaching, enjoyed great fellowship, and, of course, feasted on a delicious BBQ! Something incredible is starting to happen out here in mid-America. We’re becoming a huge family. It’s very special indeed.

To prepare for this event, Dan Rice (youth minister, St. Louis) emailed me with a very clever idea. It would do more than just symbolize our unity; it would actually make us have to work for it.

Let me explain. As a hobby I enjoy editing video (creating movies). Dan is, well, just a very creative thinker. He wanted all 12 churches to video tape themselves singing a specific song so we could put it together in one video. Packages were promptly sent to each church (see map). The packages contained specific instructions for leading the song “I Need Your Love”. Every church would have to sing at the exact same pitch and tempo for this to work…not an easy feat. Within two weeks I found myself staring at a box of digital tapes and DVDs. It was time to edit. If you’ve ever wanted to get to know a body of disciples, just watch them sing. It will pull on your heart strings. Soon I had a split screen going with St. Louis with Oklahoma City disciples singing together. Wow! It was perfect! They were completely unified. I added other churches one by one. Together the song became more powerful as each church did their part.

I encourage you to watch this video and I hope it reminds you that we’re all in this together.

Watch the Unity Singing Project Video (4 mins)

Watch the Entire Jubilee Video (12 mins)