Watoto Children’s Choir to tour the area
The Watoto Children's Choir will stop in Tuscarawas, Holmes and Wayne counties as part of its world-wide tour as the group prepares to release its new album, "We Will Go." Watoto has created a place where Africa’s most vulnerable children and women can find new hope.
The Watoto Children's Choir will stop in Tuscarawas, Holmes and Wayne counties as part of its world-wide tour as the group prepares to release its new album, "We Will Go."
The performance presents the story of abandoned African children and vulnerable women who’ve been empowered to rise above their circumstances and answer the call to be part of a new Africa, one ready to make a difference in the world.
Watoto Children’s Choir has traveled extensively since 1994, sharing a message of hope for Africa’s most vulnerable children and women. On almost every day of the year, the choir is performing somewhere in the world.
The Watoto Children's Choir will tour the area June 1-9.
The tour will begin at Pleasant View Church near Winesburg on June 1 at 6 p.m. June 2 it will perform at Faith Christian Church in New Philadelphia at 10 a.m. June 4 will see the group at Dover First United Methodist Church at 7 p.m. Watoto will then be at The Pier Community Center in Mt. Eaton on June 5 at 7 p.m. and a June 6 performance at Berlin Mennonite at 7 p.m. Next up will be a performance at Walnut Creek Mennonite Church on Friday, June 7 at 6:30 p.m., followed by a show at United Day Spring Church in Berlin on June 8 at 6 p.m.
The final performance in the area will come on June 9 at 6 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Millersburg. Admission to each event is free, and everyone is encouraged to attend any of the nights of music.
“It’s very energetic and inspirational,” Pastor Matt Yoder of Walnut Creek Mennonite said. “It is a completely different experience in person, and the testimonies and stories they share are incredible. It is a very unique style of praise and worship that should ignite a lot of passion in people. Sometimes we can get sheltered in our faith, so this gives us a new perspective on how God is working in our world today.”
Hundreds of thousands of people get to meet some of Africa’s future leaders. People see their smiles and are embraced by their hugs. The children get to tell people it’s possible to have joy, to laugh and to have hope, no matter what one is going through.
The choir’s production takes people on a journey from despair to celebration as the children and women share their personal stories of triumph in story and song.
Proceeds made from the album will help Watoto provide vulnerable children and women with homes, education, medical care and the love of a family.
Watoto is a group of people from all over the world who are working together to ensure the forgotten have a place to belong. In a time of civil war, Watoto has planted a local church in Kampala, Uganda to speak hope and life to the nation. Since then they’ve placed thousands of orphans in families, empowered thousands of vulnerable women to reach their communities, rescued babies and former child soldiers, and sent children’s choirs across six continents.
As Watoto works alongside the most vulnerable people in society, its aim is to rescue individuals and raise each one as a leader in his or her sphere of life so that they will rebuild the nation. In more than 35 years, the challenges facing Africa have changed, but the Watoto vision remains the same.
At each stop the 17 Watoto child performers and 10 adults will stay with host families who will continue to enrich their experience as they tour through the area. Each celebration of music and faith will include a freewill offering with all of the proceeds going back to the Watoto mission.