Tuakli-Wosornu told students she hoped the concert would prove to them that they are not alone in their faith.

"Know that you are not the only one who prays before your ergo test," she said.

Several of the visiting choir members echoed this theme throughout the night, recalling the solace they had found in religion and the gospel choir and their happiness in learning this weekend that other students shared their commitment of faith.

Johnson said that she had not expected the evening to take on such a religious tone.

"At first it was supposed to be just a concert, but I guess having something like that in a church brings out more than the music," she said.

Johnson said she was pleased that the weekend had allowed Christian students to bond with each other, though she added that she felt religious Harvard students did not share the visiting students' sense of isolation.

Shannon T. Hodge '00 president of Kuumba, said in an email message that religion was not the central purpose of the concert, citing instead the chance for Ivy League students to come together.

"Typically, many of the choirs have felt isolated from one another; this weekend helped to bridge the gaps between the choirs," she wrote.

The concert attracted over 350 guests from both the Harvard and Cambridge communities, some who were quite familiar with the gospel experience and others who came with no idea of what to expect.

Jessica L. Lee, a Cambridge high school student who heard about the concert from an older sister, attends a conservative church and said she had never seen anything like this before.

"I love it, I think it's so awesome," she said. "I didn't expect this much strong faith, it's really amazing."