During National Salvation Army Week, the Pendel Brass and Singers, music and arts groups from The Salvation Army’s Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware Division, went on a mission trip to the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Division (PRVI) to minister with music and physical service. Serenity Valdés, creative arts director for PRVI, said the division is an excellent locale for such missions. “People see it as a good opportunity to do mission work without having to leave the country, which [is] a little bit more complicated. There are a lot of opportunities to do missionary work here.” 

Band mission trips are a perfect chance to inform people about Jesus and The Salvation Army while serving our global neighbors, as commanded in the New Testament. Sharing God-given artistic gifts on a trip captures people’s attention, helping them to learn. These performances are also testimonies that bridge divides and remind us of our connections. 

Pendel Brass and Singers, as well as dance and drama groups, had several opportunities to perform and minister during their stay in PRVI. The Pendel Brass and Singers performed music of various styles. Some standout pieces included William Himes’ arrangement of “Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral,” which had a powerful spiritual effect, and bandmaster and divisional music director Edward Mylechreest’s own “Lámpara,” based on the Spanish song “Pon Aciete en Mi Lámpara, Señor” (“Give me oil in my lamp, Lord”), which was performed at several locations and always got a great reaction from the audience. The Singers also created a beautiful worship experience with songs such as “For You I sing,” with everyone joining in and giving a glimpse of the multicultural worship in Heaven.

But there was more to the trip than concerts and performances. “We don’t just want to do a music trip to go [and] play some songs. We want to make sure that we’re going somewhere to make an impact,” said Edward. When the Pendel Brass and Singers travel, they like to get their hands dirty. 

“They didn’t just put on a performance, they really wanted to roll up their sleeves,” said Serenity. “Painting houses, doing yard work. They also worked in thrift stores … And we don’t get a lot of volunteers like that. That was very impactful, not only to us as the people who want to see it get done, but to the corps officers, corps members and those communities. Literally an answer to prayer.”

Hands-on ministry is an important part of Edward’s approach to mission trips. He said the time spent with people and in physical service to them is just as important, if not more so, than the music ministry. “Getting out of the concert hall and doing that actual, practical ministry is really uplifting. We hope that was useful for them, but selfishly for us, there’s a really beautiful aspect of worship and community building in doing that,” Edward said. “We’re capable, we’re able, and we’re willing … We made far more connections that way, getting to know these people. And it’s eye-opening for us as well, to see the privileges that we have and to assist in any way.”

Between the practical ministry and the music ministry, Pendel team members were met with enthusiastic energy from the people of PRVI. “It didn’t matter what we were playing, as soon as people heard music, they were stopping to listen and pay attention,” said Major Martin Cordner. He recalled one moment after an unforgettable Sunday worship service when the band played a Latin American-themed postlude, and the congregation, rather than leaving, gathered close around the band to listen, dance and demand an encore. “I’ve never heard such loud screaming and applause than when we played the last notes of some of these pieces,” said Major Cordner. “I think that’s maybe the first time I’ve ever seen that happen.”

But the trip also had a powerful impact on the Pendel Brass and Singers. Major Kevin Zanders, divisional program secretary, noted it was a significant experience not just for himself, but also for his adult children who are in these groups. He recalled one moment, sitting next to his daughter in the band, when the audience had a powerful reaction to a piece they had just finished. “I nudged her and said, ‘Take a look; everybody is listening to what is happening right now. We have no idea how many lives we have touched.’” He went on to say that it’s a special experience for such a disparate group of people to get together and create those special moments, and he has been blessed to see the trip light some of the younger members of the band on fire when they have returned home. 

It was a beautiful, eventful and fun week for all involved. There was no lack of classic band trip moments, such as the bus breaking down and stranding the group in the middle of nowhere. But above all, the Lord was glorified through the universal language of music and high-quality worship.

Photo courtesy of Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware Division and Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Division