Joint gospel choir concert connects, inspires
November 04, 2021 | General News
Partnership between UW Athletics and Mt. Zion Baptist Church brings joy to campus
"The intention was to bridge a gap between the community and the campus," Reverend Dr. Marcus Allen said, "We wanted to introduce people to this church environment, this community that can have people that love and care for them outside of campus, even if some of them are far from home."
For the Badgers, the concert was a welcome addition to Homecoming.
"Mt. Zion represents the heart of the black church community and they're deeply involved in the community," associate athletic director Mike Jackson explained. "We had an opportunity to sit down with Pastor Allen and talk through what's next for the Athletic Department and how we can plug into the community.
"It seemed like an easy answer to partner with Mt. Zion Church. They're actively involved in criminal reform and getting youth built up in the community through mentorship. We have multiple ways we can plug into Mt. Zion Church through partnerships and touch areas that are important to our student-athletes and should be important to us as a key entity in the Madison community."
These growing connections are reaching far beyond an afternoon of music and entertainment.
"Football players from the University of Wisconsin go with me to the Juvenile Detention Center right here in Madison to talk to the kids that are there," Allen added. "Twice a month we're in the Juvenile Detention Center with the players and that's been the greatest benefit of this connection."
Among the many acts performing at Sunday's concert were the Mt. Zion Gospel Choir, the UW Gospel Choir Alumni as well as national-recording artist The Walls Group.
"Music is food to the soul for anybody," Allen said. "To be able to bring Gospel music to the campus of the University of Wisconsin is amazing."
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