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Acappella Experiences the China Syndrome
interview by Paula K. Parker (Paula's bio)

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For 20 years, Acappella has been a familiar name in contemporary Christian music. With 17 albums – including their newest release, Hymns For All The Ages - Acapella has long been a model of excellence in music and commitment to ministry. During the last two decades, they have performed over 2,000 concerts to millions of people in the United States, as well as South Africa, Australia, Brazil, China, Jamaica, France, Holland, Switzerland, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and the French West Indies.

In May 1999, Acappella - Gary Evans (bass), Steve Maxwell (baritone), Kevin Schaffer (high tenor) and Barry Wilson (lead vocals) - was given the opportunity to sing at the International Festival of the Arts held in Kunming, China. Representing American Christian music, the foursome sang for school children, college students, and adults. Many in their audience had never heard the Gospel before. Crosshome.com recently had a chance to talk to Barry Wilson, about this trip and their video, "Abba Father."

Crosshome: I watched "Abba Father;" it made me cry.

Barry Wilson: When we got back from China, it was more than three months before I could watch it without crying.

CH: Tell me about going to China.

Barry: The people were wonderful. The government was very hard; there were sixteen-year-old boys in Army fatigues, carrying machine guns.

The political climate is difficult for Americans going into China. This was the near the time of the Tiananmen Square anniversary. It was tentative if we were even going and we didn't know what to expect once we were there.
The day before we arrived, the Chinese government switched the floors we were supposed to stay on. Those who hosted us said that more than likely our rooms were bugged. 'If you pray,' they said, 'pray silently.' In China, you cannot have a Bible; you cannot pray in public; you cannot say 'God' or 'Jesus' in public.

At one concert we did at a university, the police showed up in the back of the building. It made everyone very nervous. That evening, we opened for the gala and the governor of the providence was present. He adored us. So, for the rest of our trip, we were in the newspaper and on television every day. This enabled us to do some things that no other artist got to do.
        
CH: Like what?

Barry: We got to visit an orphanage [it's on the video]. The government chose the orphanage that they wanted us to see.

CH: Because it was in good condition?

Barry: Yes. There was no way you could walk out of that orphanage without crying. There were five babies to a bed; in a situation like that, you lose at least one child. The reason was that there were so few workers and they could only hold so many children each day. It's a necessity for a child to receive a hug and babies have to be loved in order to thrive. Needless to say, we hugged as many kids as we could. It was tough; really tough.

But the Lord blessed us to be in a situation where we could go and sing for them and love them.

CH: In the video, you mention a little blind boy in China.

Barry: (smiling) Yes, Jerry.

CH: Jerry…why does he make you smile?

Barry: He was…receptive to Jesus. Jerry was special. He played five different instruments; he spoke six languages. He was ten years old. He recognized my voice and knew we were Acappella. I gave him a CD; later he wrote me and asked me to tell him more about Jesus and why we sing about Him.

CH: Could you do that without getting him in trouble?

Barry: Those are difficult areas. What we did was to get him in touch with someone [the underground church] who is already there.

In the States, we take so much for granted. You don't realize the freedoms that we have until you are in countries like China. When we flew home - as soon as we hit American soil - we got on our knees and prayed. It was the first time we had prayed together in two weeks.

You can learn more about Acappella and see the video, "Abba Father," at their website, www.acappella.com

Copyright 2002, Paula K. Parker. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

About Paula K. Parker: Paula K. Parker is an author, playwright, arts critic and hired-gun freelance writer. She has been married to her high school sweetheart for 27 years (so far) and is the mother of five homeschooled teenagers. From her home in Nashville, Tennessee, Paula frequently writes about the contemporary Christian arts and music scene. Visit her web page at: www.wordcrafts.net

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