Dr. Ken Gabrielse, Director
Patricia Farewell, Ministry Assistant; pfarewell@bgco.org; 405-942-3800, x.4650
Dr. Ken Gabrielse is the director of the Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma, organized in 1960 by the Church Music Department of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. This choral group represents one of most successful male choral organizations in the Southern Baptist Convention. The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma is comprised of over three hundred & fifty full-time, part-time, bi-vocational, and volunteer ministers of music from across the state.
In addition to church & convention-related concerts, the Singing Churchmen have presented concerts throughout the U.S. and abroad including: the Gaither Praise Gatherings in Cincinnati and Indianapolis, Medallion Concert Series in Minneapolis, PraiSing I and II in Nashville, and the Baptist World Alliance in Tokyo. They have also participated in several mission endeavors, namely: Spain, on two occasions; Latvia, Estonia and Russia in 1993; and China in 1996, including concerts in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hong Kong. In 2003, the SCM traveled to Australia to present concerts & lead training conferences in Sydney, Newcastle, & Brisbane in the spring of 2003; they also raised more than $25,000 for church planting in New South Wales & in Brisbane. The internationally known Sydney Opera House was a concert venue for this mission trip, as well as other prominent Concert Halls across the country, and it was truly one of the finest concerts ever performed by the SCM. In 1998, the SCM, the SCW, and the OBS were invited to provide the music for all of the sessions of the Southern Baptist Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. No other combined choir or instrumental organization has ever before been asked to participate in the Convention on such a large-scale. In April of 2009, the SCM traveled to Armenia and to Israel for a concert/mission tour where public concerts were attended by hundreds of people in each country who had no prior affiliation with any evangelical church.
The Churchmen have produced several recordings during their forty-nine year history, including “Foundations”, a live joint concert with the SCW and the OBS in May of 2005. The most recent SCM recording is entitled “Come to Jesus”.
The purpose of this unique group is to spread the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ through the vehicle of music.
All concerts are open to the public and admission is free. A love offering will be taken and recording products of the Singing Churchmen, Singing ChurchWomen and Oklahoma Baptist Symphony will be available for purchase at each location. All concerts begin at 7:00 unless otherwise indicated.
RETREAT INFORMATION:
A Fall Retreat is held each year before the beginning of the concert season. This year's retreat was held on Monday, September 14th (ONLY ON MONDAY) and was on the campus of Oklahoma Baptist University. The retreat is instrumental in preparation of both the music and heart of each minister. For more information about next year's retreat, please contact (405) 942-3800 ext 4650.
CONCERT SCHEDULE:
Thursday, October 1st - FBC, Bethany
Tuesday, October 13th - (Small Choir) 100th Anniversary of Pittsburgh Association (McAlester)
Thursday, November 5th - Chisholm Heights, Mustang
Tuesday, November 10th - Combined concert with Singing ChurchWomen and Oklahoma Baptist Symphony at BGCO Annual Meeting (FBC, Moore)
Thursday, January 14th - Southern Hills, Tulsa
Thursday, February 18th - Four Small Choirs: 1. FBC, Hollis 2. FBC, Pawnee 3. FBC, Antlers 4. SE, Muskogee
Tuesday, March 23rd - Four Small Choirs: 1. FBC, Anadarko 2. FBC, Haskell 3. FBC, Wynnewood 4. Memorial, Tulsa
Thursday, April 22nd - FBC, Pryor
Thursday, May 6th - FBC, Oklahoma City