Joshua D. Shalapsik

What’s good everyone?!

The summer time used to mean that I would sleep in, find something to do with my day, go to work, and all of the rest of the time I would be at church. Well, the summer of 2011 has been polar opposite of those of my high school years. This summer is even completely different than the passed two years that I’ve been out here at CLC. For the passed two summers I had been traveling around the United States with tours groups for the entirety of the summer. However, this summer I have found myself leading my own tour group of one member!

            The begging of the summer was rather shaky for me. I was unsure of what exactly was going to happen from day to day at that point. The days moved by ever so slowly with so much running through my mind, different things pertaining life and ministry. I eventually began to move out of that stage and simply tried to embrace what was around me at the time. Well the notion that I needed to embrace was that of my music internship. Being a music major I have to meet a certain listing of requirements in order to obtain a BA degree. I could have chosen to meet these requirements by either planning a senior recital, or going with an internship. I chose the internship! So here I am at CLC fulfilling my internship requirements with the CLC Music Dept. The internship has been everything I have expected and so much more!

I started the internship by simply continuing my daily office duties, and then the familiarity of the CLC scenery quickly changed. I found myself in Las Vegas for an entire week! Bro Sillimon and I went to attend the Edwin and Walter Hawkins Love Fellowship Music and Arts Seminar. 

The seminar was great, and so was the food! For those of you who are not familiar with this event, it can be simply described as form of TTCM. I sat in class listening to Donald Lawrence, Ted Winn, James Harrison, and others of their gospel music industry caliber. I also spoke with the benevolent Richard Smallwood, Dr. Edwin Hawkins, Maurette Brown Clark, and many others! 

I also sang in the mass choir for their live recording at the end of the week, and I wore all white! The Seminar actually recorded Bro Sillimon’s original piece “Who God Says I Am”, it was great.   

Shortly after returning from Las Vegas, Bro Sillimon and I flew out to Colorado. We traveled to Colorado in order to do the music for family camp. That week was fun, interesting, and exhausting, but nevertheless we made it through. We worked with the praise team as well as the mass choir. 

One of the songs that was taught and sang was an original from myself “So Great”! Long services, roughly 12,5468,124 songs, long dinners, Rev. Jerry Jones, and not enough sleep was the culmination of that particular excursion.

Next stop, San Jose! Bro Sillimon and I traveled down to San Jose to put on a music clinic for the music department of the East Valley Pentecostal Church. 

The time that I spent in San Jose for this music clinic will never be forgotten. When we arrived I was amazed at the size of the church, it was very large and the décor was phenomenal! Anyways, as soon as we arrived the pastor took us to eat and then we had an immediate band rehearsal followed by a vocal rehearsal. The next morning came and we tried to find a McDonalds and failed in our attempt, so we ate a random Pilipino coffee shop. I was very skeptical at first, and then I ate the absolute best breakfast sandwich I had ever eaten! We arrived back at the church at 10 and began our band rehearsal. After we finished with the band we grabbed a quick bite to eat and prepared for the vocals. During preparation I was in charge of the band and ended up teaching them all of their parts for the song we were going over. I was completely unassisted at this time and went for it! It was amazing because the musicians had so much confidence in my musical ability that they followed my direction with such trust and assuredness even though some were way older than me! That particular experience was priceless! So as I had said, we arrived at rehearsal that morning at 10, and we didn’t end until 6:15! It was a powerful day! The next day was Sunday and that meant that all of our hard rehearsal time was about to be showcased before the entire congregation and God! All of the songs went very well, including the songs I played keys for; it was an awesome experience. After service the pastor took us to Santana Row, which is absolutely the ritziest area I have ever been! Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s were rolling down the street left and right, and just about every female had a tan, sunglasses, and a pocket dog! To say the food was excellent would be an understatement, so instead of trying to describe it I’ll just have a moment of silence for it...____________, Thank you. Oh, and I need to mention that I had my own room to stay in! Other than staying in a presidential suite at the Riviera in Vegas for a night, my own room was the second closest I got to fulfilling literal “Rock Star” status this summer! Oh, and I need to mention that the room I stayed in for three nights was the former President of CLC Samuel Ankarcrona future place of residence!

Well that does it for the traveling so far! Bro Sillimon and I will be traveling out to do another music clinic before the semester starts, and I’m sure more opportunities will await me there as well. However, activities here at CLC have been going on like crazy! We just sang at the state fair this past weekend, both Covenant and the Choir, and then we will be singing out this coming Saturday in downtown Stockton. My summer has been nonstop! So whenever I have been traveling, I’ve been here in Stockton doing office work at 8 A.M., playing keys for Wednesday night service, directing on Sundays, playing drums when needed, practicing piano, eating, gaining weight, having Jesus time, and trying to prepare mentally for my last year!

Believe it or not there is much more I could tell you all about, but Ill save it for later conversations. I hope all of your summers have been a blessing to you as mine has been for me. I love and care about all of you Senior Class of 2012!

-         Much Love, Joshua D. Shalapsik 
o       8/1/11