SLIPPERY ROCK - On a sunny April afternoon in Swope Music Hall, you can hear the reverberating sound of a group of voices coming from the building's second floor.

Accompanied by a piano, the sound becomes louder and more rhythmic - making it clear what is being heard is gospel music.

The Slippery Rock University Gospel Choir is bringing "the word" to the people through song, rhythm and harmony.

The 40-member choir performs throughout the school year at churches, gospel festivals and universities locally and across the country. It has been a staple in the Intercultural Programs at SRU since 1989.

RaMiena Carlisle, president of the choir, said the choir offers more than just singing and performance.

"There's so much more to the gospel choir than singing," Carlisle said. "It's totally fulfilling."

A member of the choir for three years, Carlisle said she became involved through a friend. She said the choir performs about three or four times a semester on campus in addition to weekly performances at area universities and churches.

"We travel at least once a week," she said.

In addition to local performances, the choir also travels to gospel and choir tours during spring break. This year the choir traveled to Chicago, Columbus, Ohio, and North Carolina.

Janett Matthews, the choir's adviser, said that, during the tours, the choir members undertake a hectic schedule of singing at various churches and events. With the venues mapped out, the choir then follows a "path" during the tour, Matthews said.

"It varies during the week," she said. "They move from place to place. They come, sing and leave. It really is a tour for them."

Matthews said the choir has grown "tremendously" in its membership in recent years.

"We are growing in both members and events we participate in," she said. "We are becoming (better) recognized all the time."

She attributes this to the "word of mouth" publicity that is generated about the choir.

Nicole Bastide, a junior elementary education major, said that when she first enrolled at the university she was searching for "anything that had to do with choir." Bastide has been singing with a choir since her high school years.

"You get to meet a lot of people, and you get to travel," she said.

Jonathan Mcgill, a freshman computer science major, said performing in the choir gives him a deep sense of feeling. This is his first year with the gospel choir.

"I've been singing at church all my life," he said, "developing my gifts and my voice. It's in me - the words and feeling the music. Especially with gospel music."

Mcgill also said there is a fellowship involved with being a member of the choir.

"Singing at different cities around the country is great," he said. "We go around spreading the word."

Matthews said next year, the gospel choir plans to mail information to the community and send out notices to various groups at the university to gain more exposure on campus.

The SRU Gospel Choir will be performing at 4 p.m. on April 27 in the multi-purpose room in the University Union on the Slippery Rock campus. For more information, visit www.sru.edu/pages/8313.asp.