Rallying to the Rally…

Once every term…like the wildebeest migration across the Mara river to the Serengeti plains from the Maasai Mara, Seventh-day Adventist students from secondary schools across the city of Nairobi converge on a chosen school for the termly S.D.A School’s Rally. 2nd Term 2008 happened to be at the Nairobi School. Having agred to meet at church at exactly 8.00am, it was quite disorienting to recieve a call from Chris telling me that he and Joseph opted to meet at The Hilton enroute, and that numerous other In-Tuners had jumped ship and decided they would proceed to the school immediately. At 8.00am…alas, it was only Ronnie, Edwin and myself at the NCSDAC premises…

When you’re a student, trust me, 40 bob on transport is alot of cash to dish out…but for the sake of punctuality, we had to board two buses- one to town and the other to the school in westlands. There we were to find Craig, Joseph and Chris, as panicky as ever on hte inside yet as cool and reserved on the outside. Ted Okoth happened to be on the programme, as well as George who werent here and we were set to start in a bit. Practice is just the thing to settle our nerves…and in no time at all, Jamo was in and so was Tichy, so everything was indeed falling into place.

The prgramme co-ordiantor urged us to commence with the programme, as Lenana School, State House Girls and Eastleigh High Schools had already arrived. The moment we entered the chapel is the moment I knew that I was to MC the Sabbath School programme. Everything went well except for the time when I started the choruses with a high note and almost shrieked, otherwise I have to say that the congregation was quite receptive…this could of course be attributed to the aura of excitement that enveloped us consummately. The theme of the Rally was LIVE IT Matthew 7:24.

Ted arrived a little too late, after we had occupied the pulpit, and therefore sat at the sidelines while George took over the closing prayer he was to give. In-Tune stole the morning show by hogging the presentations and singing three items, though nobody was complaining…and by the end of the session, the chapel was full to capacity, around 1000 students.

The preacher during the sermon psychologically prepared us for a long sermon by telling us upfront that he would not take less than an hour…true to his word, he took two!…by which time hunger was evident on anumber of faces…moe clearly portrayed though by the bobbing heads of dozers.

Lunch was a smooth yet economical affair. Smooth because their were no incidents or mishaps, and economical…because the food that was given redefined ‘little’…lol. No complaints though, the chef was fantastic! Other students and church youth tok the opportunity to mingle and socialize up until the afternoon programme. In-Tune hence had a spur of the moment practice with ‘The Ones’, an acappella group from Lenana School. It was indeed a spiritually uplifting moment.

At the end of the day, I would say, it was a win-win situation for all. The Church Elders held another successful Rally, the students had a wonderful time I presume…from the looks on their faces, the youth look satisfied and In-Tune had a ball…though for us, the fun was just about to start…

Mutual Nourishment…

July 5th served as the sate In-Tune as a whole would first set foot in the Kenya High School in its continued high school ministry. The trip had been planned for quite a while but never seemed to materialize….though through Craig, it finally did indeed happen on a morning that for the first time in recent history, I happened to be the latecomer by over two hours! Ted, as is worryingly becoming the trend, bailed out on us at the last minute…he happened also to be going for some outreach ministry with the youth out of town with hte Church Youth Pastor, Pastor Okioma, to Gilgil.

On that articular day, most of the In-Tuners were rolling….Jose had his ride, as did Andy and Kevin Nyamweya, a former member, gave the rest of the guys a ride. On arrival…and for those of you who have been to the school before, we were simply breath-taken by the beauty of the school’s surroundings. Plush lawns and open spaces, smooth and well-paved paths and sidewalks, regent buildings and a petit chapel with architecture vaguely resembling a byzantine cathedral.

We all met up at the entrance to the chapel and went to the balcony for some warm up practice as the girls were on a break. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that Millicent would be preaching again and coupled with Craig’s charismatic and welcoming father, Elder Atebe, who also happened to be the Elder in Charge of the Kenya High School, this was bound to be an unforgettable sabbath in more ways than one…

Elder Atebe kicked us off by calling for us to give at least four items as we welcomed in the students for the second half of the program. This we did in, thank God, the best of fashions, as we chose to sing ‘Glory and Honour’. Jamo was in his element thankfully, and Chris and Craig were on point in their tenor 1 renditions. Even without the lead bass, Ted, I have to say Edwin executed the voice quite well without his co. Anderson on the other hand also matched up satisfactorily, despite the fact that he had been MIA for a while; this of course, was due to Joseph’s encouragement and faith in the world and everyone in it.

The morning sermon was as fresh, if not fresher, than it had been with Sis. Millicent at Nairobi School,where she talked about the 7 Fs that Jesus had and which we all should…I’ll talk more about that on a future article, but she clearly spelt out the fact that being a CHRIST-ian means striving to BE like Christ…and thus striving to be like Him in every possible way.

Lunch was a sordid affair at the begining when everyone of us was thrown into disarray when it was discovered that the school hadn’t afterall organized alittle something for its guests as promised earlier. Knowing the combined apetite In-Tuners have…akin to a mini-economy, I knew the guys wouldn’t last long (okay I admit…I’m also a food- addict, if not THE…) and thus something had to be done. But as God would have it…everything worked out rather well when The Onyonyi’s, Craig’s Mum and Mrs. Damaris shared with us their lunch and some loaf which was brought in by Anderson and Joseph…I could suddenly see the smiles from Chris and Ronny…

The afternoon program started off an hour or two late due to the fact that the students were being taken through a fire drill for quite a long time. Special items were inter-woven with what the speaker of the day had to tell us and it was a pleasant fellowship indeed. Lesson learned? Food is VERY IMPORTANT to In-Tune…hehehe, but ultimately spiritual nourishment is much more satisfying…Good day

Ted the Twin….

In-Tune temporarily lost one of its members, Ted Atebe, after he flew out of the country for further studies. The entire group will surely miss him while he is very far away from us, but we believe we are one in spirit.

There was a going away party held for him at the Atebe residence in Westlands..and it was well attended with almost all of In-Tune being there, together with Drama Band members and other friends and family. Joseph and I missed out on the grub, but from what we so repetitively hear, it was fantastic. After the stuffings, there was a bonding session in which everyone had a word or two to say about Ted and the mark he had left on us.

The Drama Band group made it a less tearful affair with their occassional humor and wit and even though we were saying our goodbyes, it didn’t seem like we were actually seing off someone. But not just someone, seeing as such In-Tune is a brotherhood.

Ted will be missed by all, with his humor and dedication, it won’t be easy but we’ll manage. As for his ‘other half’, Craig, is still with us, as strong as ever. None of us can comprehend how it feels to be separated from your twin brother. In-Tune sang ‘Truth was Standing’ one last time with Ted and then the group AMO Junior gave us an item and finally Gifted.

Joseph, Tichy, George, Ted Okoth, Edwin, Jamo and myself then stayed behind for our last practice with Ted the Twin….and then it was time to leave. Ted, even where you are, keep the Torch of Christ burning, and remember that In-Tune is with you all the way…

In-Tune with the Petals

The sabbath had been rather chilly that day, but nonetheless, the sun was a bout to settle down on a superb day that had seen In-Tune have one of its most successfull pratcices EVER! It was therefore also a coincidence that most of the guys had dished out their best suits and ties, and were definitely clad to the nines. (I’m not saying that In-Tuners aren’t immaculately dressed on Saturdays now….they are indeed some of the best dressed guys in Church….okay thats a little biased) Moving on,

Chris, Joseph, Edwin and myself had left the rest of the guys socializing in Church and decided to make our way to town, as we were used to…little did we know of what was in store for us, and what an eventful evening that would be! Reaching the CBD( Central Business District), I decided to take what we call our ‘Little Pit Stop’ which is at the Bakery just next to the KCB Bank on Kenyatta Avenue.

The Profiler! Enter In-Tune

Name:Nyatichi Phillip

Age: 18 going on 19

Occupation: Cisco Certified Student

Voice: versatile Bass, Tenor 1 tenor 11

In-Tune: member

Hobbies: Godly ministry, singing, music, the wacky, funny and eciting things

Welcome to the wacky world of Tichi, as he is so fondly nicknamed within the In-Tuner circles. The baby of the group, and to the consternation of many, the most aggressive and outspoken, Phillip has shed of his earlier facade of a timid shell and metamorphosed into the limelight to become the gregarious fellow he now is.

If you want comedy central, you’ve come to the right place. Together with Chris, they pulled off an unforgettable outreach at Pangani and firmly established established themselves as the comedians within In-Tune. But deep within the recesses of this outwardly humurous individual lays a surprisingly intelligent brain! hehehe, Tichi is a bright guy, both by academic and conventional means and if there is a guy who loves hanging out at Church, it must be him.

He loves bringing out new concepts in the way we sing and as far as innovation is concerned, think outside the boxes dude! as he complains…The youngest in the group has a bright future if you ask me.

The Profiler! Enter In-Tune…

Name: Nyaundi Ronnie

Age: 20years

Occupation: student

Voice: versatile tenor11 and barritone

In-Tune: newest member

Hobbies: singing,Rugby(former player), football…sports basically

They say silence is a virtue…and with it lies hidden intelligence. Ronnie is arguably the most laid back guy in the group. Add that to the fact that he is the latest entrant into In-Tune but the speed at which he has ‘gone with the flow’ is amazing! One moment he wasn’t there and the next….voila!

Ronnie used to play rugby at his high school,I guess you can tell from the buffed up look of his photo…but after that, I have no idea where his rugger aspirations went. He is an ardent fan of Arsenal FC, come to think of it…all of In-Tune is Arsenal except for Edwin and George who was won over by someone else. Anyway, thats besides the point. Apart from Chris, this guy is the most punctual In-Tuner I know, and apart from George…he plays runners up again to reliability. Ronnie will pull through for you through thick and thin and his ‘freestyle’ nature doesn’t betray his acceptance or perception of anyone.

When it comes down to singing…its serious business! No time for humor and jokes and the job has to be done for Nyaundi…but if you distract him…well, lets just say its all downhill from there, because its hard for him to say no to you!

Queries?!

We’ve noticed the increasing number of questions and inquiries left as

comments. Well, would you like to know more about the group and our activities and on our availability? Or do you just have general questions?Why not write to us at;

intuneacapella@gmail.com

…together with your name and contacts, or call us on +254734861140.

We’d love to hear from you and would respond promptly. Thank you and God bless you…

In-Tune Acappella

The Profiler! Enter In-Tune

Name: George Mosomi

Age: 21

Occupation: Engineering Student, Nairobi University

Voice: Versatile Tenor 11 and Barritone

In-Tune: IT co-ordinator

Hobbies: tech stuff, rugby, academics and cars…fast cars

From the pose he’s taken in the photo, can’t you tell the guy loves himself to death? lol…George is a kind-hearted fellow actually who’s benevolence contradicts the vast blessings which life has given him. From brains to brawn, he’s quite down to earth actually. Apart from being unreliable at times, largely due to the fact that he has poor time managemnet skills I guess, he does pull through eventually! (The photos George, the photos!)

Inspite of his demanding course, George still has time to regularly and dedicatedly make time for In-Tune practice and he always…yes always excuses himself from it if he would not be available. You ask what essence he adds to In-Tune, well, he is the mechanical brain behind the machinery with all his gismos which never fail to impress. Though not fully exploited as they should be, his knowledge, albeit difficult to penetrate is vast.

George quietly makes his opinions known and is another pacifier when it comes to the big wig arguements. Coupled with his versatile voice, after decades of singing Barritone, we only recently discover he was born to be a Tenor 11!

The Profiler! Enter In-Tune

Name: Chris Muriithi

Age: 20

Occupation: Student

Voice:Versatile Tenor 1 and 11

In-Tune: member

Hobbies: Karate, singing, football

Ever heard of the phrase …’don’t let the cute face fool you?’ Behind the stature and the welcoming smile of Chris lies years of karate expertise! The ironic thing is that Chris is a very peaceful bloke, and just like Edwin, never the aggressor. He is more of a peacemaker and struggles for peace where there is turmoil.

I guess his more pronounced negative trait, as observed by some of the In-Tuners, is his rebellion. If the rest decide to go one way, he almost definitely will go the other! But then again, if you don’t stand for something won’t you fall for anything? Chris is deeply opinionated and has a strong sense of patriotism both to his country and to In-Tune. If Joseph is the number one fan, then Chris comes in a close 2nd.

His other accolades include the loudest, alonside Joseph, in the group and the most energetic. He’s the first one to give a hand out and the last to deface anyone. Coupled with his unbelievably high tone vocals, this guy has got it right!

The Profiler! Enter In-Tune

Name: Edwin Jim

Age: am guessin 20

Occupation: Student at some college

Voice: Bass 1

In-Tune: member

Hobbies: Rugby, Manchester Utd football fanatic

If you thought the Vatican had well-guarded secrets, well then get a load of this guy! Edwin is elusive in that theres not that much you can tell about him and his life. I guess its his laid back nature which makes him the pacifier in most In-Tune affairs and he is practically content with the way things are!

Despite all this, the dude, however, has a heart of gold! He’ll never be the aggressor in an arguement and he’ll side with the most logical of the lot. On joining In-Tune, Edwin was more often than not in the back ground of issues. He prevered observing from a distance and not really coiming out. But I guess with time, that shyness evaporated and made way for a brighter chap who is constantly growing away, as are other bases, from reliance on Ted. He is experimenting with his own unique vocals and coming up with a sultry beat and staccato for songs such as ‘Sabato’ and ‘Higher Perspective’.