The 2026 Youth Music Mission is about to begin.

It's Wednesday, and the clock is ticking. In just three days, the youth choir will sing three local concerts here in Decatur. And then, on the fourth day, we board a bus and head on our annual Youth Music Mission. This year's trip will take us to Chicago by way of Louisville, KY on the way up and Indianapolis, IN on the way back.

We have double checked all the concert venues and the hotels. We have sent the final rooming lists and itinerary to the bus company (note to self: remember to give the driver the new address for that one concert!). The choir has been working on the music since January when we went on our retreat.

There's something about these last few days before we leave. So many preparations to make. It's a busy time. And yet it's also somehow the calm before the storm. Because right now I'm working my way down this checklist by myself. But in three days, there will be about fifty youth and fourteen adults here as well. It would be a burden if I didn't love it. While I'm not sure I'd call this burden "easy," I do find it, shall we say, exhaustingly energizing. Like a sugar high on steroids.

This will be my twentieth Youth Music Mission trip (not counting the Virtual Music Mission during Covid). My very first trip was in June of 2005. I was the Director of Music at Embry Hills UMC, and Janet Johnson, then the Director of Music at Oak Grove UMC, called to ask if I'd like to travel with her group. Honestly Janet did most of the work for that trip. But I learned quickly! On that trip, we traveled to Chicago. I didn't actually plan it this way on purpose, but it feels important that we are going back to Chicago twenty trips later, and now I am the Director of Traditional Music at Oak Grove UMC.

I don't know what that means, if anything at all. But I do know this. I'm as excited and nervous for this trip as I was for the very first one, and as I have been for each trip in between. And I can't wait to share our journey with you.

For now, I'll paste below the "About The Music Mission" part of our program. Look for the next post Saturday if I'm really on top of things or Sunday if I'm not!