A Movement of Worship: God’s Chosen Gospel Choir and the United Gospel Experience Tour

Gospel choirs featuring over 150 students from Gordon College, UMass Lowell, Trinity College, the University of Hartford and the University of Providence will take the stage at Gordon on Saturday, April 12, at 3 p.m. on the final stop of the United Gospel Experience Tour. Organized by UniteBoston and Dr. Craig Ramsey ’13, M’20, Ed.D., founder and advisor of Gordon’s gospel choir, God’s Chosen, the event is free, open to the public and will offer a transformative experience that blends worship, discipleship and spiritual formation.  

For Ramsey this tour marks 13 years since God’s Chosen and it’s traveling Gospel Experience were first formed, demonstrating the group’s staying power and its lasting impact on lives across New England. 

From Campus Gospel Choir to Regional Gospel Movement 

Ramsey (communication and media studies, masters of education) started God’s Chosen in 2012 to introduce fresh forms of praise and worship at Gordon. “I wanted to fortify what was already taking place on campus,” said Ramsey. “The gospel choir was formed as an opportunity for students to come together and unify, not under the banner of nationality or race or culture or even denomination. It was an opportunity for us to unite under the banner of Jesus,” Ramsey said. 

About two years after he started God’s Chosen, the choir collaborated with the KIPP Academy School in Lynn, MA, for a two-night performance, and the Gospel Experience was born. From there, the group came alongside UMass Lowell’s choir, and soon God’s Chosen was building relationships with churches, schools and gospel choirs across New England. 

In 2022 Gordon’s director of worship, Bil Mooney-McCoy, who had also been director of worship for UniteBoston’s annual night of worship, introduced Ramsey and God’s Chosen to the UniteBoston team. The choir was invited to join the upcoming night of worship and support local artists in song. Not long after the 2022 event, that opportunity came to fruition. Ramsey received a call from UniteBoston’s Executive Director Rev. Kelly Fassett asking God’s Chosen to return for their 2023 night of worship as the headliner.  

Ramsey knew taking the Gospel Experience on tour would take a huge leap of faith, from gathering financial support to figuring out logistics. After prayer and deep consideration, he felt God’s confirmation that this was the next big step, not just for Gordon’s gospel choir and all its alumni, but for other gospel groups throughout greater Boston.  

“When we ended that year with the choir, I had told them on our reflection night, ‘I just want you to know this is the vision, this is where we’re going. I’m going to bring you all back. We’re bringing the alumni back. For those of you that didn’t really get an opportunity to perform because of the pandemic, I’m bringing you back,’” he said.  

The Gospel Moves Through Gospel Music 

Fortunately, thanks to Fassett’s effective grant writing, the tour received funding to fully cover everything from transportation to food and marketing. To plan the tour Ramsey focused on collaboration with other local choir leaders. They agreed the tour would run for a full year, with performance stops at Morning Star Baptist Church in Boston, Providence College, UMass Lowell and Trinity College in Hartford. At each concert stop the host choir would kick off the performance, the other group would perform individually and then the gathering would conclude with all groups singing together as one powerful gospel choir.  

From the beginning the tour was an expression of what it means to worship God in spirit and truth. After performing at Morning Star Baptist Church on the tour’s first stop, the lead pastor told Ramsey, “You’ve honored God, and you have respected the sanctity of this place.” At UMass Lowell Ramsey shared that “the power of God really fell.” People in the audience were asking for prayer, and Ramsey heard from a local pastor that one of the families who attended the concert ended up coming to church, and another person joined the school’s gospel choir. 

“Every group has their own origin story,” shared Ramsey. “And somehow we all just converged. The Lord has allowed us all to convene at this moment in time for this moment in history.” 

Live the Gospel Experience for Yourself 

Even ahead of the final performance at Gordon, the Gospel Experience is already making plans for another tour next year, with the hope of expanding to additional locations. “It has been a blessing to be used in this capacity. I want the legacy of the Gospel Experience to be that it was all about Jesus and empowering students to have an opportunity to worship,” Ramsey said. 

Ramsey encourages people of all musical tastes and worship styles to attend the final concert, promising an incredible event and emphasizing that gospel music is for everyone. “Regardless of whether you worship through traditional hymns, contemporary Christian or gospel music, we’re all singing about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the hope it gives to those who believe. You’re singing gospel music regardless of genre, because that is the good news,” he said. 

Come see God’s Chosen Gospel Choir perform alongside choirs from Mission Church in Sommerville, Providence College, Trinity College, UMass Lowell and the University of Hartford on April 12, from 3–5 p.m. in the A. J. Gordon Memorial Chapel at Gordon College. While the event is free, God’s Chosen welcomes donations to support future tours by designating gifts for “Gospel Choir” at www.gordon.edu/giving.