Music
 If
you are 15 years old (9th grade) to 100 years old
and are looking for fellowship, a sense of belonging, a mission
within the church, and a few good laughs, come and join the choir.
Rehearsals are Thursday evenings from 7:00-8:00 pm. No singing
lessons necessary….just a love of music and a sense of humor.”
“Music is well said to be the
speech of the angels.”
Thomas Carlyle 1838
Music is large part of Whitelick Presbyterian Church. This is a fine
singing congregation that loves to raise their voices in worship. From
this tradition comes a Chancel Choir that is open to all without
audition and sings regularly on Sunday mornings. They cover a broad
range of styles and periods spanning from Gregorian chant to J. S.
Bach to Gordon Young. For those who may not like to sing but still
enjoy music, we have a handchimes choir, the Chancel Ringers, which
meets seasonally during Lent and Advent. These ensembles are only a
part of the music tradition at Whitelick. The congregation is actively
involved whether by singing responses, hymns, or benedictions. It
truly must be heard to be believed.
We have been
blessed the last two years with donations that have enabled us to by
a new grand piano and a new organ. Our sanctuary has excellent
acoustics that create a sound not found in most churches enabling us
to make a joyful noise to the Lord.
I am very glad that you have taken a few minutes to read through this
brief description of our Music Ministry. Our hope is that you will
be enriched by the power of God’s music here at Whitelick.
Whitelick Presbyterian Church
Soli Deo Gloria
This is what J. S.
Bach wrote on his manuscripts at the end of his compositions.
Translated from Latin it means, “to God alone be the glory.” In
three small words, that is what church choir is about. We meet every
week to learn the notes, the rhythms, the words. We figure out where
we’re going to breathe, to get louder, get softer. Faster, slower.
These are all the technical things that we do to prepare music for
worship. But the Chancel Choir, and the entire music ministry at
Whitelick is so much more than that. Music ministry is a community
within the larger community. It is a group of people whom God has
blessed with the gift of music, and they choose to come together and
share that gift with the rest of us. Through our practices we work
towards a common goal. We overcome challenges, we rejoice in each
other’s accomplishments, and we share each other’s struggles. We are
group of people who yes, can sing well, but we can sing even better
as a group. What you hear on Sunday morning is even more special
than the sum of the parts. What happens when we come together toward
this common goal is uplifted by God to a level that none of us could
achieve on our own. We realize that when we succeed, we do so
because of our work as a team and without a doubt, by God’s strength
working through us. And when we do succeed, we know that Soli Deo
Gloria.
We happen to come
together to share the gift of music. We are eternally grateful that
God has blessed us with this gift, but we come together out of the
joy and nourishment of each other’s company. We come together
because we genuinely care about what’s happening in each other’s
lives and know that we can offer support, strength, a shoulder, a
round of applause, and many prayers. We find that the text that we
sing, and the way that we sing it, allows us to provide this support
to each other and, we hope, to you. It is always our goal that you
not simply enjoy the anthem as “pretty music,” but that the text
reaches out to you and touches your very soul. We hope that it adds
to your worship experience and to your spiritual growth. We hope
that it makes you smile, think, rejoice, question, and pray. Above
all, we hope that our music is worshipful, and that it helps you on
your spiritual journey.
As Victor Hugo said,
“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which
cannot remain silent.” We hope that the music at Whitelick expresses
what you cannot put into words, and we know that most often, those
emotions cannot remain silent. Thank you for your continued support
of the music ministry at Whitelick. Soli Deo Gloria.
Brian
Clissold
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