The group will have its annual free concert at 7:30 p.m. today and Sunday in Holy Cross Hall of St. Francis Xavier Church.
There are 11 core members of the group and five auxiliary members who join in on special concerts like this weekend's, Cimini said.
"We have a yearly concert, which is this weekend, and that's where we pull out all the stops," Cimini said.
Music will range from African-American spirituals to folk and rock, she said.
"Norma Brolsma is going to do 'Elijah Rock,' which is very torchy," she said. "It is very fast-paced. The show will be all Christian music but songs not appropriate for Mass because they have too much of a secular flavor."
During the contemporary Mass, the group sings contemporary hymns, including some Latin ones, like "Resucito" which is sung in Spanish, Cimini said. They also sing some traditional hymns, like "Amazing Grace," and some of contemporary standards, like "Be Not Afraid."
"We have such outstanding instrumentals that we always sound fresh and contemporary," she said.
Parishioner Mary Ann Madden has been listening to the group at the contemporary Mass since she joined the church 15 years ago.
"I think they are great," she said. "They work really hard and they understand that it's a ministry, and not a performance, and try to bring spirituality into their singing."
In addition to singing during Masses, the choir sings at weddings, for parishes and at the Sylmar Juvenile Detention Center, Cimini said.
"It is a service to the community and bringing God to some of these people who feel like they have been discarded by the community, perhaps by the things that they have done," she said. "Our singing, I think, shows them the faith community has not given up on them."
The choir has also had the privilege of singing for Cardinal Mahony several times at St. Francis Xavier, Cimini said.
"He always comes over and tells us he likes our performance," she said. "He's a very pleasant man."
While sharing this uplifting music is the purpose of the group, Cimini said the most important thing about being a member is the love they have for each other.
"When I was being rushed to the hospital to have a baby, it was Donna Kaiser and Norma Brolsma who got me there," she said "We've been through deaths, birthdays, marriages and divorces with each other."
The group is part of a faith community, she added, but they started singing together when they were kids, and have created a tight bond.
"We love each other — we're closer than family and we are all sharing our love of music," she said. "We are doing something we all have a passion for."
