Jonathan Mohr

Section Six’s got talent

Section 6 has some of the most talented young people in the Illinois District, if not the United Pentecostal Church. That was evident to anyone who attended the annual sectional youth revival at Cornerstone Ministries in Litchfield this past weekend. Our young people did all of the music and performed the dramas, and they were fantastic.

As further evidence of the talent level in Section 6, consider the results of the recent district-wide singing competition during the annual Sheaves for Christ Relay in August. Nathaniel Dugal of Quincy won Male Vocalist of the Year, and Lauren Parris of Litchfield won Female Vocalist of the Year. Both will be performing at Youth Convention 2009 in Springfield.

Lauren’s win was especially impressive considering that, while most contestants sang along to a sound-track, she performed a piece she had written herself – and played the keyboard. (And Lauren entered the contest five minutes before it started, at the behest of her mother.) Lauren’s parents are talented vocalists, so Lauren comes by it honestly.

All of the male vocal contestants were from Calvary Tabernacle in Quincy. Jared Pate (Pastor Randy Pate’s son), Nicholas Dugal, his brother Nathaniel and Chad Jackson all vied for the top spot. In the end it came down to Nathaniel and Chad, and the crowd went for Nathaniel. It was close, and Chad has no reason to be ashamed. He’s very talented, and I’ve heard him do an absolutely phenomenal job on solos at church recently.

For that matter, Jared and Nick shouldn’t hang their heads, either. Jared is coming into his own as a singer, and Nick showed off his talent on the acoustic guitar.

After the contest was over, everyone headed back into the night to enjoy other activities, including a concert by a band from Truth Tabernacle in Petersburg, another Section 6 church. Lead singer JW McWhorter is another talented Section 6 musician who probably would have challenged for the title of Male Vocalist of the Year had he participated.

A few years ago I heard a lot of people talk about Section 6 like it was the backwaters of the Illinois District. Not anymore. I’d put our people up against anybody.

Similar Posts:

None Found