Monday was spent navigating the maze-like corridors of McMaster University to attend briefing groups. As the name implies, these groups provide commissioners with a brief overview of the reports and recommendations from the church’s various committees and agencies, and allows them to ask questions or seek clarification if needed. In theory, this gets the preliminary details out of the way so commissioners are prepared to deal with business as soon as it hits the floor of the assembly. But from what I hear from serial commissioners, business can still be bogged down by details. And it’s hard to guess what the big debates will be.
In the evening, we all boarded city buses chartered for us by the City of Hamilton. It was time for the General Assembly banquet; a relatively formal affair involving a beef dinner and some fabulous entertainment. This year it was hosted at banquet hall for very large weddings, a venue full of white marble and draping fabrics, peppered with replica artwork and statuary by its namesake.
Our dinner entertainment, however, was pint-sized. Even standing on a platform only a few tables away from me, 10-year-old Liam McGlashon was hidden by the heads of seated commissioners. He’s a prodigy on the fiddle, playing a variety of Irish and Scottish tunes, a waltz, and finally the well-known—but exceedingly difficult—Orange Blossom Special, a bluegrass favorite.
Although he set the bar high for the entertainment to come, the Youth section of the Hamilton Children’s Choir didn’t disappoint. They had just returned from a trip to Gothenburg, Sweden as guests of a renowned music school and I must say, they deserved it. The group’s repertoire was eclectic and entirely without accompaniment, ranging from Canadian-composed songs to Cuban melodies to an Indian folk tune arranged by co-director Meghan Quinlan. They concluded with a rendition of Dancing Queen by the Swedish pop group ABBA in honour of their recent trip.
With our bellies full, the assembly returned to McMaster to prepare ourselves for the long week ahead. Business begins in earnest tomorrow.
If you’re interested, here are links to some Youtube videos featuring the talented performners:
And the Hamilton Children’s Chorus
