MorningWalk by Tom Ehrich
Readers' Church Choir Stories October 1, 2010
In my 9/30/10 MorningWalk blog, I shared a church choir story and asked readers to share their choir stories. Here are a few, some positive, some not so positive, as they sent them to me.
Tom
From a reader:
The church choir has been the catalyst for me in finding and unravelling my faith.
My mother (probably the original catalyst), though disabled by a crippling stoke at age 49, continued to sing in our choir, and was an example to countless people, myself included, for the next 30 years till her death. She persisted in inviting me to sing with her in the choir for many years.
Finally, in 1984, I relented when the choir director wrote a special Christmas cantata for his choir to sing. I reasoned that I loved to sing and it would please my mother, and of course, I wanted to be a good son. I enjoyed singing in the cantata, even had a solo and trio part, so I reasoned further that continuing on in the choir was a prudent decision for my mother's sake, and I enjoyed the music.
Then as I sang the hymns, reveling in the old tunes, I began to look at the words. Then I actually listened to a sermon or two. The rest, as they say, is history. I became heavily involved in my church, held church offices, chaired boards and committees, preached my first sermon, and conducted my first complete worship service there. I also took some courses for lay leaders, and read, studied, and watch my faith evolve until it now little resembles the faith I thought I had originally.
I continue to be involved with that same church and choir, though not as actively as in the past, since I've also become a lay pastor for a small church in Northeastern Vermont and plan to attend Bangor Theological Seminary part time in January (after much prodding by God and those around me). It all started with the choir in the church of my childhood, and a mother's persistence.
From a reader:
My wife wanting to sing her heart out and she is pretty good was told by the choir director "This is a performance choir." It was a bit strange in light of the fact there were only 5 members in this tiny Episcopal choir. She gave up, moved on and got involved in outreach programs. Sometimes we can demand too much polish, too much "performance" - What was the line in Monty Python - "I just want to sing."
From a reader:
My church choir story is not a personal experience, but hopefully meaningful nonetheless. A former rector of the parish I attend was heard to say many years ago "The devil often enters the church by the door to the choir loft!"
From a reader:
Church choirs from childhood through high school, school choirs as well along with All-State choir for 3 years as a high school student. Have been singing all my life in church choirs, some more fun than others, and in really good civic choruses, both mixed & women’s only. Fast forward to 2008 when a new choir and a new philosophy began in Dallas, TX. Resounding Harmony, a 200 voice mixed chorus which sings AND changes lives. We don’t have a subscription season per se; we sing our concerts to raise much needed funds for our beneficiaries. Fall ’08, ’09, we fed hungry people through the North Texas Food Bank. Spring ’09, we raised monies for musical education in the lowest socioeconomic school in Dallas. Spring ’10 we all became ambassadors for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, singing not only in Dallas, but also at Carnegie Hall. This fall, in November we will again focus our efforts on the North Texas Food Bank, attempting to raise enough money for at least 200,000 meals—that’s a lot of singing & a lot of raffle tickets, shopping bags & canned food ( real & virtual) drives. It feels good to know that we are changing the world just by doing what we all love to do—singing. Google Resounding Harmony to find out more.
From a reader:
Music is one of the ways I worship. I love singing contemporary Christian songs and praise songs, and do that in my church's (St. Paul's, Cary, NC) Jubilate choir. We sing at the 9:00 service most Sundays. I started singing praise songs at the Prince of Peace when I was there and it existed.
I participated in a choir in my very early youth period. Didn’t like it and wasn’t good at it. Didn’t enjoy or find the music during worship very enjoyable or meaningful either.
UNTIL, I joined the church of a girl I was dating (who soon thereafter accepted my proposal of marriage). The minister of music was highly credentialed and very particular. He rid the worship service choirs of paid singers, thinking that choir members should sing for God’s glory instead of a paycheck. He added children’s choirs, youth choirs, adult ensembles for special performances and no performances, bell choirs, and generally expanded the music ministry of our congregation and community.
His advice was that God doesn’t care HOW we sing, but THAT we sing. I think he got it! I think that position is supported by scripture and common sense. I think faith is stronger, deeper and more meaningful for those who worship with a serving of music. My faith is stronger and more challenged by choirs, singing and music.
From a reader:
I have been a member of a church choir for many years and it is one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. I do read music, but do not have a great voice. My husband was a church organist/choir master when we married, and is now retired so church music has been extremely important to me. The choir in which I sing is made up of men and women who have a bond that I cherish. Most of us are volunteers. Our organist/choir master is a professional musician and is loved and appreciated by all of us.
The music in the Episcopal Church of which I am a member has a history of exceptional importance and beauty. I am blessed to be a part of this church choir.
From a reader:
The most “moving” musical event in my childhood life, was virtually ‘witnessing’ Handel’s Messiah, as I was first introduced to it, in my eighth grade school choir. Singing that music sent chills down my spine, as well it must for most who have ever listened closely to the words of Hallelujah Chorus, taken from the book of Revelation.
I have travelled this planet extensively, and have had the pleasure of hearing this music on most every continent, in many languages; the same result of course; ‘Chills.’
One of “Those Times” came while I was contracting in Heber Springs, Arkansas. Easter was just a week away, as I was speaking with one of the young ladies that worked at the facility.
I mentioned that I had seen signs around town, at quite a few churches, that they were presenting Handel’s Messiah, that coming Saturday evening. I questioned the logic of so many churches presenting the music on the same night.
She said, “Oh Thom, you misunderstand, sir. All of the churches are together for this presentation!”
She went on to explain that several smaller churches gather at a larger church, and begin the evening with their choir singing the first parts of the Annunciation, with children acting out the “plays.”……
The choirs then move on to another church, were as many as six local church choirs join in for Chorus medleys of the Messiah, and, they then move on to the town’s largest church, with a pipe organ, and there, with several hundred choir voices, as well as many of the ‘visitors’ joining in from the pews, they end the evening with Hallelujah Chorus.
I had to go. I had to witness this revelation once again.
There were red robes, blue robes, no robes in the choir loft area. The pipe organ moved the earth under my feet.
Again, The Lord Blessed my life, and the chills and tears filled my being.
And He Shall Live, Forever, and Ever…..
From a reader:
This is a choir story about a mutual friend that I thought might interest you. She had really fallen on hard times and was homeless - living out of her car - in Florida. She moved to a new community and when she attended a church where she filled out a visitor's card and said that she loved to sing. Somehow they contacted her and invited her to come to the Wednesday evening choir rehearsal. When she arrived, there was a music folder with her name on it, as well as a choir robe for her. Sight unseen, she was already accepted as family.
Because of this outreach, her life has completely turned around. They found her a place to live, and got her a job. She had some medical problems that they paid for. She is now back on her feet, completely self-sufficient, and is totally involved in all aspects of the Church's life. If this is not truly a Music Ministry, I don't know what is!
From a reader:
I started in church choir at ten years of age as a boy soprano since there was no youth choir. Puberty caused a switch to bass. When I married, my wife had been in her church choir and played piano for Sunday School assembly. Together we totaled about 70 years in choirs.
In addition I sang in Little Theater productions, one being congratulated as the only cast member who sang on key through five performances of the play.
And we made it fun, while occasionally being nearly the only functioning organization in a fractious time. A few of us drove the choirmaster mad by singing "How lovely are the mason jars...," after a lecture on enunciation. And puzzling him with rendering "does the master say, 'Go work and play.'
And it was hard work; but the pure joy of rendering reverent, enthusiastic Easter and Christmas 'joyful noise' is a marvelous memory. My wife died 16 years ago, but I can still hear her strong, confident alto.
From a reader:
In my 43 years of ministry I have found that choirs are either a great small group ministry, a clique-closed society, or the church war department. When it works it's really God's gift to the church.
From a reader:
We have a wonderful choir and my wife sings in it beautifully, I on the other hand was the only member of a cast of 60 asked not to sing. Whenever I sing the service the choir pretends that I am "improving" and covers for me.
I remember the moment when I was proud of them. Lillian, and older member of the choir was dying. Twenty members of the choir came with me to take communion. we had prayed together before we went over to her house. many of them had visited her in the previous weeks but we knew that the time was running out. They gathered in the living room outside the bedroom and sang the songs that Lillian requested and the ones which they would sing at her funeral. We all took communion together and each member came in and gave her a hug.
She died the next day and we brought her body into the choir room for a reception and vigil the night before the service and people signed up to take an hour. The next day we brought her out of the choir room and had the service of celebration of her life. She is still missed in the choir but we are so thankful she was in our lives. The choir showed what the church could be in caring for each other.
From a reader:
I am a United Methodist Deacon serving out my appointment in part as choir director for a small Presbyterian church choir. Prior to my decision to concentrate on music ministry, I also served as a pastor in the UMC (elder) for fifteen years. Over the years, I have directed many choirs, ranging from a small 5-10 to over forty average attendance. I have enjoyed them all, and loved them and cared for them as fellow brothers and sisters in the faith journey.
My policy has always been that it is a volunteer choir, hence anyone can join and sing. That means I must work with the very talented as well as the very untalented. The thing we have in common is we love to worship and praise God together. My frustration comes from my fellow directors who forget that our primary job is to lead worship and empower the laity, not perform. My choirs are seldom perfect, but we meet our goal of leading worship to the best of our abilities.
Oh, the piece I didn't share is the fact that I'm physically challenged. All of the churches I have served opened their arms to me and welcomed and nurtured me, even as I nurtured them. It was those churches who "used" my handicap as the excuse not to welcome me and use my talents that I have prayed for over the years, praying that God will use them to help all find the Good News of the Gospel.
From a reader:
Choir story a dear lady who is now turning 104 and just beginning to be forgetful wrote a history of a small church in her community when someone read it they noticed that as far as the choir went there was a two year blank and she refused to talk about it because the choir and organist got into an argument the organist left in a huff and took the organ key with him for two years no organ music only the piano until a new organist came along and said could we not have a new key made. She is such a sweet lady that only good stuff went into the history.
