The Bell Shoals Worship Choir will give an encore performance of the national anthem for the Buccaneers’ Monday Night Football game on September 24 at Raymond James Stadium.
That evening the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at 8:15 p.m. During halftime a special ceremony will be held for Tony Dungy, a former head coach of the Buccaneers, inducting him into the prestigious ‘Ring of Honor.’
Before the game, the worship choir will perform a sound check on the field at 5:30 p.m., followed by a dinner provided by the Buccaneers organization. Then at 7:45 p.m., the choir will enter the football field through the tunnel and sing the National Anthem at 8:15 p.m. After the anthem, the choir members will be escorted to reserved seats to watch the game.
Carole Fluhart, a choir member who participated in last year’s performance, said, “It was thrilling to be in the tunnel with the players at the start of the game, a real treat.”
Jason Millsaps, the pastor of music and worship at Bell Shoals Baptist Church’s Brandon Campus, said, “Singing the anthem was awesome last year, and I look forward to directing again this year, but my favorite part last year was when our worship choir family had a sweet prayer time together right before we went out on the field. We had the opportunity to pray with and pray for the Buccaneers coordinators that hosted us for the evening.”
Since the Buccaneers organization does not have a waiting room large enough to accommodate the entire worship choir, Millsaps had to limit it to 80 singers. Choir members signed up on a first come first serve basis, and a waiting list was created.
Millsaps continued, “It is always a blessing to be able to go outside the walls, and sometimes out of our comfort zone, to represent Christ and Bell Shoals Baptist Church. Even in the midst of what some would say is controversial in the NFL, it is our privilege and responsibility to show Christ in our actions and words, and that’s what we did.”
Raymond James Stadium is located at 4201 N. Dale Mabry Hwy. in Tampa. Further detail about the game can be found at www.raymondjamesstadium.com. For more information about Bell Shoals, please visit www.bellshoals.com.
