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Oh Ye of Little Faith
or
The Tale of the IAF Concert
It is very hard to tell an amusing tale when the consequences could be otherwise. Last May there was an opportunity to book the Odd Fellows, otherwise known as the Rushmoor Male Voice Choir, in October. Fortunately, there was a gap in the booking of the Parish Centre on the 16th October. So the choir and venue were booked - simple.
About four weeks before the due date I emailed all the supporters of the India Africa Foundation, and my friends (the two lists are not independently exclusive) telling them that tickets were available for £5. The result - a resounding silence. I then sent another email explaining that I had sold 5 tickets so far, expecting all in sympathy with my predicament to flood me with requests for tickets - wrong! I took to the barricades (the north door of the church) and stood there pleading with all I knew and those I did not. Come, buy a ticket - you know it will not hurt!. Slowly the number who committed to coming to the concert grew to the mid thirties.
Pete Churms and Martin Cornes told their friends and acquaintances, the sales shot up by - four?. At very short notice, I shared my predicament with the churches of Cove and they responded splendidly by advertising the event on their notice boards and by announcing it at the previous Sunday service. I was becoming desperate and paranoid (the two conditions are not independently exclusive). I starting praying - desperate times call for desperate measures. I was desperate because I ask you to imagine my embarrassment if the Odd Fellows (of which I am one) turned up in strength - 40 men and one women (Marjorie Wakefield, the accompanist) to face an audience of thirty!
The Great Day came. The helpers were doing their thing: printing programmes, putting out chairs, preparing the sales table, preparing the refreshments, readying the audio-visual equipment. We put out 87 chairs - faith in action. In the event we had 70 people. I voiced my gratitude to a dear friend of mine - she replied "Oh Ye of Little Faith".
So, what is the outcome? Some people who came along to support the charity rather than hear a Male Voice Choir were agreeably surprised that they had such an entertaining evening. I know to expect a 14 times improvement in sales of tickets when compared with the initial response. I have lost more hair. And, the IAF has over £500 to spend on Christmas presents for the poor children of Muranpur village and some money to buy kitchen equipment for the parish/community centre being built on the Neerekshe campus. Praise the Lord!
My thanks go to all who supported the concert with their presence, generosity and prayers.
Peter Viveash
PS The Odd Fellows support all and sundry, mainly church based charities, by singing - for free.
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