The
glory of God is witnessed every time Black Skiers experience the
beautiful snowcapped mountaintops all over God's world. We
recognized that we are truly blessed to be fortunate enough to have the
opportunity to play in the snow in God's country. In 1995 during
the planning of the Jim Dandy Ski Club's annual Martin Luther King Ski-Lebration,
it was requested by the Co-Captain, Terrian Bell, that a Sunday morning
praise and worship service be held. Janice Jackson, Vice-President
of the Jim Dandy Ski Club at that time, supported the idea and they both
set out to find club members who wanted to sing God's praises for the
event.
Terrian Bell, an experienced singer in several renowned choirs, became
the first Director for the newly formed 'Jammin for Jesus Gospel Choir."
The first choir members were: Jacqueline Lee, Robert Gibson, Linda
Robinson, Joanne McCarty, Arthur Walton, Melvin Hall, Brenda Nash,
Rhonda Lane, James Lewis, Betty Hill, Johnetta Jones, Corinthian Brown,
Emma Godfrey, Stephen Hendrix, and Janice Jackson, who was selected as
Choir President. As rehearsals began, the choir members began to
feel a new type of bonding that was different from when they skied
together. It was spiritual bonding and many members gave testimony
to finding peace and the glory or God at their rehearsals.
After many hours of rehearsals (with no piano accompaniment), the new
choir prayed that their musical presentation would be greatly accepted
by God and appreciated by the ski club.
In January of 1996, at Blue Mountain Ski Resort in Canada, the first Jim
Dandy Ski Club praise and worship service entitled, "Here I Am Again",
was set to begin at 10:00 a.m. With no money for robes, the choir
wore Black and White MLK T-Shirts and Black Pants. At the
appointed time, the room had only a few worshippers, and the choir
members wondered if they should postpone the service to a later time.
As they prayed and asked for direction as to what to do, God spoke to
them. The spirit reminded them that whenever two or more are
gathered in His Name, there He would be in the midst of them. With
renewed spirits, the service went ahead as planned.
The beautiful voices of praise
echoed and rang out all over the mountain. Hallelujah!
Skiers came down from every ski trail to praise the Name of Jesus.
Soon the service had no seats left, people were hanging from the
rafters, filling the balcony and the halls.
The entire room was
filled with the Holy Spirit as the choir sang, giving God the praise.
It was a glorious day and God was pleased!
The word about the new choir
spread quickly throughout the other Black Ski Clubs belonging to
the National Brotherhood of Skiers. The choir was asked to be the
sole musical performers at the 1997 NBS Summit GospelFest in Vail,
Colorado. NBS members responded by questionnaire that ...the
Jammin' for Jesus Gospel Choir was the most enjoyed event on the
mountain that entire week.
Wanting the choir to reach newer heights,
Terrian Bell recruited Mildrea V. Smith, a very talented Vocalist, Choir
Director and Song Writer, to further develop the choir and tap into
their musical potential. Mailrea has raised the bar and brought
the choir to its current level, as a great choir consisting of JDSC
members and non-members willing to sing God's praises wherever we are
lead, be it on the ski slopes or in the city. The JDSC Jammin' for
Jesus Gospel Choir has performed for many ski clubs, church and
community events, as well as two NBS Summit and Mini-Summit GospelFests.
Staying true to our mission, we will continue to give God the glory even
at the peak of the highest snowcapped mountain, for it is through Him
that we are truly blessed.
