On the night of October 27th, people were seen all around with hands raised to the sky, bowed heads and a war cry that will shake mountains while others were running to the front of the stage just to experience a taste of God, that the choirs and other acts were talking about.
As the beginning of a new Homecoming rolls around, there is the main event that always kickstarts The Blue & White Experience especially. That’s right, Gospel Explosion. The theme of the night was; We’re going to Church, and that is exactly what happened. It began with the wonderful Saint Augustine’s University Chamber Singers, making the crowd feel welcomed as they walked through the doors. They made the crowd feel a part of a church. James McNeill ll, a sophomore biology major, stated, “I had a nice time, it was really good, and it was better than last year.” The first act of the night, the Chamber Singers, hyped the crowd up, by singing every HBCU’s national church anthem (“Melodies from Heaven”) and other familiar tunes by Kirk Franklin. Others also came to lift the crowd spirit, these people included; Hands of Praise, Arvetra Jones, and NC State.
The main performer turns the entire show out. Jeremiah Davis, an alumnus of Saint Augustine, was proud to come back to his old stomping grounds. He had encouraged many students to turn to Christ only just by his testimonies and ministry of music alone. As the night progressed, something in the atmosphere shifted as the people laid out their burdens at the makeshift altar. The proud coordinator for this event this time around; Jasmyn Cooper (Chamber Singer director) was seen grinning from ear to ear as she revels in the fact that people enjoyed this year. For some alumni, Gospel Explosion was their highlight for homecoming, for a fact this would go down as one of the best events at homecoming.
