On Tuesday afternoon, the LCU Praise Choir presented Lubbock Mayor Dan Pope with a letter and gift from Councillor Sean Bateson, the Mayor of Coleraine, Ireland, as thanks for the CDs, letter, and ornament that the Choir gifted the mayor on their oversea tour this past spring.

The returning gift consisted of a letter of gratitude and plaque bearing the coat of arms of the Causeway Coast and Glens, the district in Northern Ireland where Coleraine is located. These items made the 4,500-mile trip from Coleraine to Lubbock with the Praise Choir early this summer in preparation for the special ceremony at City Hall.

The presentation began with a few words of greeting from the Coleraine Mayor delivered by from Dr. Philip Camp, Director of Choirs and Professor of Music at LCU, followed by a few songs performed by the LCU Praise Choir. Lubbock Mayor Dan Pope graciously thanked the group for their performance with high praise.

“With all due respect to Austin,” he said, “the live-music capital of Texas is Lubbock—we’ve got all kinds of great music, including what we heard here tonight.”

The letter from Councillor Bateson praised the group from LCU, saying, “The young people of Lubbock Christian University Praise Choir who visited our beautiful North Coast or Ireland are a credit to you and your citizens, all the way from Lubbock, Texas! The young people were both engaging, polite, and courteous.”

The letter continued, “I was moved with emotion when the [Choir] dignified me with their idyllic music at the Mayor’s Reception I hosted for them. The Choir were only my second visiting guests in my Term of Office, gained just three days prior! It was truly an amazing experience.”

The Praise Choir, which tours regularly, will be performing throughout west Texas and New Mexico, and is planning another tour abroad in 2021.