As a middle schooler, Owen DeWitt was adamant about not being in choir or youth. He had played sports in church leagues and attended various church camps and Vacation Bible Schools, but “I’m not doing it” was his mantra. His first try at choir as an 8th grader did not go well, but he continued. “I felt intimidated, unnoticed, and uncomfortable,” he shared.
“Mr. Duncan, my middle school choir director, told me that if I had a chance to sing with Mrs. Emily’s choir, I should take it.” Owen felt welcomed, noticed, and comfortable. After a few weeks of singing, he felt confident enough to try going to a youth meeting.
From these two connections, Owen experienced his first-ever choir trip, his first-ever trip without his mom. “I don’t know who was more nervous: me or my mom!” After returning, Owen felt a huge difference in himself. The person other people saw was a confident, self-assured, outgoing young man.
Owen graduated from high school last May and was president of the choir and on the search committee for a new choir director. He took full advantage of working with both youth and adults. He thoughtfully prepared a children’s sermon and another sermon for Youth Sunday. Mission trips and choir trips were a natural part of his life.
Owen is rooted in his faith, blessed by the ministry at Shallowford, and secure in himself and his life.
