By Clayton Kimoto
Special to the Herald
The Tuthill Courtyard at Leeward Community College resounded with melody and praise on July 1 as Christian groups from around Oahu gathered for an ecumenical concert of dancing, singing and playing music. The various ensembles represented many different religious denominations and styles of worship, but they found a unity of purpose in celebrating Christ at the event, called H.E.A.R.T. (Heavenly Ensembles Artistically Rejoicing Together).
The Leeward Community College Catholic Club (LCCCC), led by Deacon Ernie Libarios, has sponsored H.E.A.R.T. for three years. As in the past, this year’s event included the participation of a number of Catholic groups.
Our Lady of Good Counsel Youth Group of Pearl City, which plays at their parish’s 5 p.m. youth Mass each week, gave its all to its performance. The Steubenville Players, a part of Our Lady of Good Counsel Youth Group, and In Him, a diocesan ministry, love to play at concerts like H.E.A.R.T. and at every first Saturday of the month at St. Stephen Church in Nuuanu. They also consider serving the homeless as an important part of their ministry and do so at the Kakaako Homeless Shelter every Thursday.
Also performing was the Our Lady of Sorrows band from Wahiawa, which has been together for 20 years and play the last Sunday of every month at their parish’s 9 a.m. Mass.
H.E.A.R.T. was a mixture of prayer, singing and playing, and dancing, including performances by children’s groups for the first time. Preschool to middle school children from the Pearl City Community Church dressed in kimonos and used Japanese dance gestures and motions to perform the Lord’s Prayer and “I Love You Lord.”
Children from New Hope-Farrington energized the audience by performing several fast-paced dance routines set to rap music.
Other participating groups included the New Hope West Praise team, the Light of Wisdom group from New Hope Christian fellowship, Word of Life and Kahikuonalani.
All the participating “heavenly ensembles” combined to create an uplifting and delightful event. As the New Hope West group said, everyone was performing for, “their audience of one, Jesus Christ.”