Listen to this article
Performances by the Territorial Creative Arts Ensemble and Singer Silvie Paladino highlight the evening.
Acclaimed Broadway singer Silvie Paladino joined musicians and performers from the Western Territory at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium Saturday night for “In Christ Alone.”
The event showcased an array of talent from across the territory, from the Staff Band to the Staff Songsters to the Territorial Creative Arts Ensemble, which delivered a special performance entitled, “Who Would Have Thought?”
The piece centered on God’s ability to work in ordinary people in unexpected ways, in order to carry out his divine plan.
One of the testimonies in “Who Would Have Thought?” featured a woman who shared that she was tired of being told she was lucky for not having kids. “They didn’t know that I suffered from infertility…but God took that burden off of me. Now I know that I don’t need to have kids in order to be happy.”
As each story emerged, members of the Creative Arts Ensemble arranged a unique dance number to help bring each one to life.
Among those sharing their testimonies was Commissioner Carolyn Knaggs. “Who would’ve thought that God would take a pretty shy girl and propel her into a leadership role?” she said, reflecting on her 40 years of ministry. “We have tried with all of our hearts to be faithful to God’s calling on our lives.”
Paladino, an Australian native, has recorded music with the Melbourne Staff Band of The Salvation Army—to complement her lengthy resume of musical theater, starring in roles in Cats, Les Miserables, Hair and Miss Saigon, among others. She partnered with the Staff Band for several numbers, including “You Raise Me Up” and “Amazing Grace.”
“I love that I can come to another country at feel right at home with people who love Jesus just as much as I do,” Paladino said.
After the “In Christ Alone” finale, Knaggs delivered the closing prayer.
Download this page as a PDF
