It what was described as a “historic occasion, a night to remember,” the Sons of Jubal choir from Georgia crossed the Chattahoochee River and drove deep into Alabama territory, all the way to Opelika and nearly to Auburn. There, they joined forces for a joint concert with their brothers, the Alabama Singing Men. Sons of Jubal historian Ken Drane said, “This was only the second time in the Jubal’s 70-year history that they have shared with men from another State Convention for a joint concert.”
The evening came together as Alabama Singing Men’s president and former Sons of Jubal member Steve Pace began coordinating with Lee Chitwood, the current president of the Sons of Jubal. Pace said the goal was to, “encourage the networking and brotherhood of musicians across the broad mission fields of Georgia and Alabama to gain invaluable information from other members in shared ministry experience.”
Chitwood said, “We would like to do more of this type of sharing. Next year we will be joining with the Tennessee (Baptist) Men’s Chorale for a concert in Chattanooga on April 1. This is great, to collaborate with our sister states, and it is phenomenal to join our voices together!”
End of an era
It was a historic occasion in other ways, as a full house gathered for an evening of worship at FBC Opelika. It marked the end of an era, because it was the final concert for the Alabama Singing Men under their director of 25 years, Tom Smith. The Alabama Singing Men, now in their 51st year, have had the privilege of having Smith as its conductor for nearly half of their existence.
Smith expressed his pleasure that his final concert as director would be a joint venture. “That in doing so, we get to share with the Sons of Jubal, this is making it really special to me,” Smith said. “Those guys have such a rich tradition and are doing such a great job.”
Smith retired as chair of the department of music and director of choral activities at Auburn University in 2006. He will continue as the minister of music of Providence Baptist Church, Opelika where he has been serving for more than 50 years. His retirement was marked by the first public performance of a new piece of music, “River Glorious” by Heather Sorenson, commissioned by the Alabama Singing Men to honor Smith’s 25 years of service.
First Baptist Opelika was also a fitting setting and a reminder of the shared work across state lines. Fundraising for the construction of the beautiful sanctuary, where the concert was held, was led by a former Georgia Baptist layman, G. C. Roberts, Jr. His elder brother Columbus Roberts at one time held his membership at the Opelika Church before moving to Columbus, Georgia. Columbus Roberts credited the church with helping develop his understanding of Biblical stewardship. The elder Roberts has been one of the few laymen to serve as the president of the Georgia Baptist Convention and arguably his gifts to Baptist education and missions have been unmatched in Georgia Baptist history.
Not content to rest
It was an historic occasion but neither of these organizations is content to rest on their laurels. The Alabama Singing Men are preparing to embark on a mission trip to Maine in 2025.
The Sons of Jubal will next be in concert at Tabernacle Baptist Church Carrolton on Sept. 12. The annual fall mountain concert will be on Oct. 17 at FBC Gainesville. Events scheduled for 2025 include the joint concert with the Tennessee Men’s Chorale in Chattanooga on April 1, and a mission trip to Cuba from Oct. 16–24, 2025.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Charles Jones and originally published by the Christian Index.
