The first minute of the BYU Men’s Chorus’ new video seems to set the stage for a simple vocal performance, but the video goes on to unexpectedly share a touching story about the Shumways, who lost their baby boy, Rockwell, hours after his birth.
As the chorus sings “Come, Lord Jesus,” at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Khyl and Michelle Shumway, of Draper, Utah, share how their testimonies of Jesus Christ have helped them through the loss of a child.
“I’m so grateful for the Savior and that he made it possible for us to be with Rockwell again,” Michelle said in the video.
Rockwell was born 15 weeks early and only spent 11 short hours on the earth in his 1.9-pound frame. The video shows heartbreaking footage of Michelle holding her baby while saying, “You’re still here. Good job, Rockwell.” A picture is also shown of the couple and their four little girls standing around his headstone, which is inscribed with the phrase “families are forever.”
The song is part of the chorus’ “Set Apart” album, which can be downloaded for free. While it may seem unusual to release a CD for free, the chorus hopes that the accessibility of the album will allow more people to be inspired by its music.
“We want to change the world through music,” Stephen Richardson, president of the BYU Men’s Chorus, said in a press release. “That may sound naive to some people, but we mean it when we say that we want to reach out to the world and change it for the better.”
The video was posted on Dec. 14 and had more than 4,000 views at the time of publication.
The Clean Cut is a daily feature that highlights family friendly videos.
Email: mjones@deseretdigital.com