A team of 44 members of German choir, St. Lukas Munchen, is in Rwanda for a two-week visit, during which they will perform at the seventh edition of Ndatuma Nde Gospel Festival, that kicked off in Rwamagana District, on August 9.

The Munich-based gospel choir, arrived in Kigali, earlier this week, and has been doing rehearsals in at their camp in Gikondo, ahead of their of their three-day festival, which ends tomorrow, August 11.

The festival is organised by the Presbyterian Church of Rwanda. This year’s event is organised under the theme: "Whoever believes in me, even if you die, will survive’ and brings together pastors, Christians and choirs for a thanksgiving occasion for them to share God’s blessings as a whole.

The annual performance is features a variety of themes, including preaching the word of God, singing and worshiping sessions, during which the German choir performs alongside different local choirs, and artistes.

"We are here to sing, worship and interact with Christians in here (Rwanda), through our music, which we mainly use to spread the word of God. We already feel at home since we arrived in Rwanda and we are excited to visit even more parts of the country during our stay,” said Bastian Pusch, the choir’s conductor and team leader.

According to Emmanuel Muhozi, the gospel festival coordinator, the festival is helping The Presbyterian Church to open the horizons, by not only building a good relationship with Africans, but with Europeans as well.

"That is why we have St. Lukas, with us at this edition because our church wants to extend relationships with fellow churches from different countries, including the Germans. We are excited to have this choir participating in our festival and we are looking forward to an eventful festival,” Muhozi told Saturday Times.

During their stay, the choir will visit different attractive touristic areas like Akagera National Park, Nyungwe National Park in Musanze among other places.

The choir will also visit different projects being implemented by Presbyterian Church communities, and associations that currently benefit from the choir’s support in their everyday economic activities.

The choir’s members are of German origin, but the majority of their songs are composed in English. Their popular songs include, Keep The Faith, I Smile, You’ll Never Walk Alone, Hallellujah, to The King and Total Praise, among others. The choir comprises of 60 members.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com