Singers help conferencegoers 'maintain reverent spirit'

In the cacophony of thousands of people leaving the Conference Center after a general conference session and thousands more lining up to get into the center for the next, the familiar sounds of LDS hymns are a spirit-calming extra.

Dozens of members of Salt Lake University 5th Stake provide an informal musical interlude for conferencegoers and others plying downtown streets during the semiannual conferences. They've been doing it for three years, lining up along both sides of the south sidewalk of South Temple to sing best-loved hymns.

It's an informal service, said Matt Millburne. "It's to help the people leaving conference to maintain that reverent spirit longer."

His involvement was the result of responding to invitations made in regular church meetings, he said.

He and JoLynn Bierman had just finished "Joseph Smith's First Prayer" along with the rest of the group. Ironically, a strident dissenter to the LDS Church was just steps away disclaiming Joseph Smith's prophetic mission in establishing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the early 1800s.

Providing a counterbalance to such negative spoutings each conference weekend was one of the reasons that the university stake leaders chose to promote hymn-singing on the street, said Steve Stoker, second counselor in the stake presidency, whose strong voice added to the effect, but whose white hair contrasted with the collection of mostly young singers.

Organizing the singing groups twice a year "is just part of my assignment," he said.

The membership of this informal "choir" may change at random as passers-by join in. "Anyone can come and sing with us," said Angelina Krieger, who held the list of well-known hymns and called out the next song on the agenda with help from Aaron Finkelstein, who said he "had a stronger voice" that would reach all the singers strung out along the sidewalk.

Las Vegas sisters Rhonda Peck and Tessa Beckstead were among the impromptu singers who joined in for a hymn or two while waiting to take their chances on getting into the afternoon session Sunday.

"We rushed over to join in. Tessa just loves to sing," Peck said. "While we were waiting in line for tickets, she was singing 'I am a Child of God.' "

Many others could be seen mouthing the words or singing sotto voce the familiar Sunday meeting songs as they strolled through the gauntlet of singers from the largely student stake.