CHANCEL CHOIR

The Chancel Choir may be one of the most demanding groups in the church.  It requires that its members spend 90 minutes in rehearsal every week, plus 20 to 30 minutes on Sundays when we come to the choir room before service to warm up and prepare.  We must sit apart from our families for the first half of the service.  We must have a new anthem ready each Sunday.  When preparing for our Advent and Lenten cantatas, we will attend hour-long rehearsals on 5 or 6 Saturday mornings in the fall and again in the spring.  We sing at both 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. services on Christmas Eve; we sing for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services.  We sing for our SOS (South Oakland Shelter; homeless) guests during their week at our church. We come together with willing and expectant hearts.  We come contributing our good spirits and warm hearts to the “fellowship of friends” that is our choir family.  Being a church choir member is another kind of challenge as well.  For some members of the congregation the music provides the deepest spiritual experience of the service.  For most people it sets a mood for worship; it presents an idea to ponder; it enhances the beauty of God’s Word and man’s search for a closer fellowship with God and with his fellow man.  We who sing in the choir have a responsibility to our church and to our God to provide the best performance and singing we can achieve.  Our respectful attitudes and our conscientious work are measures of how close we come to fulfilling this role.

The Chancel Choir is directed by Larry Wolf, a former public school music teacher who has been our church’s music director since 1978.

CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP TEAM

 Our Contemporary Worship Service at 8:30 has grown about 50% since it’s beginning in the fall of 2003.  This team-led worship experience is dependent on the gifts and graces of singers and instrumentalists as well as people proficient in the use of sound equipment and computers.

The musicians meet on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. to rehearse the music for upcoming Sunday morning worship services.  The musicians share the task of introducing the music and leading the worship service.  Members of the worship team are often at the church at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings to set up for the service and do sound checks. 

The people responsible for sound and visuals used in worship rotate on a weekly basis.  The words for songs are compiled during the week and finalized after the Wednesday rehearsal.  Our projection software package easily allows for changes prior to the service on Sunday morning. 

On the second Monday of each month there is a 7:00 p.m. meeting of all available team members.  The purpose of this meeting is to select the music for the following month.  Pastor Jack provides the message titles and scriptures for each week in addition to a theme that reflects the emphasis for each Sunday.  Given this information, the team then selects appropriate music for each Sunday.

All are welcomed to be a part of this team experience that allows for our contemporary praise of God through praising Jesus Christ.

God has blessed us with the musical ministry of those on the Contemporary Worship Team!

The Praise Team is directed by Suzanne Bianchi, who has been our church’s Organist since 1992.

PRAISE BAND

Our “multi-generational” Praise Band offers an exciting opportunity for instrumentalists of all ages to play our instruments for God’s glory, even those who haven’t touched their instruments in years!  The group is open to any player who is willing to attend the rehearsals and learn the music.  We perform for worship services from four to six times year. During the past year we performed in June, August, October, Christmas Eve, February, and May.  A performance date is selected based on responses to a survey, then four weekly evening rehearsals are scheduled prior to that date (usually Sunday, Monday or Tuesday).  Members help set up and take down the stands and chairs for each rehearsal and on the days when we perform.  The rehearsals last 45 minutes; players attend as many of these as they can.   This can add up to 24 rehearsals in a year’s time, plus performances.

Rob Tucker, our Volunteer Band Director, is a talented and energetic young man whose sense of humor and “laid-back” style combine with a solid instinct for bringing a band performance to life.  Playing under his direction is both fun and rewarding.  He relates well to and communicates effectively with his players of all ages.

VESPER BELLS

Members of the Vesper Bells rehearse on Sunday mornings from 10:00-10:30 in the sanctuary balcony.  They come early to help haul four large cases of bells from the storage area near the balcony to the performance area, and then set out 3-4 bells at each of the eleven stations around the bell tables. The process is reversed at the end of each rehearsal/performance.  Once the rehearsal begins, they must use music reading skills and careful concentration to maintain the flow of the piece, following the printed music, playing their bells on time, in rhythm, and with the proper type of stroke.   They are a friendly team of people who enjoy one another’s company and help each other when needed, such as calling out the measure number when someone has gotten lost.  They perform at our services once a month…and they perform well!

JoAnn Sheffer, our Volunteer Bell Choir Director, is a spirited leader and a gifted musician, who chooses and prepares the effective and challenging arrangements that this group performs.  A school music teacher in her “other life,” she has done considerable research in the art of hand-bell ringing and brings valuable knowledge and experience to our rehearsals, along with a warm, friendly manner.  

CRUSADER CHOIR

Crusader Choir members (grades 3-6) rehearse 45 minutes a week (5:00-5:45 p.m.) during the “Wonderful Outrageous Wednesdays” after-school LOGOS program that takes place here at our church from mid-September through mid-April.   Crusaders sing for a worship service once each month.  They also sing at the Christmas Eve service and for Mother’s Day.  Beginning in January, we start learning the songs and stagings for our spring musical, which we present at both Sunday morning services.  This year’s musical was “Life of the Party—the Story of Martha and Mary,” performed on March 25.  The final rehearsal on Saturday, March 24, was scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a break for lunch.

LeAnn Wolf, our Volunteer Crusader Choir Director, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her work, from her years as a successful elementary music teacher and from many years as a volunteer director of our church’s Crusader Choir.  She helps the children find the beauty that God put into their voices, and selects music that will provide an opportunity for them to use their voices to give God glory.  She has a special talent for finding and preparing musicals that are suitable for young singers.  She is also a talented seamstress and has over the years provided a large portion of our church’s sizeable wardrobe of costumes. 

CHERUB CHOIR

Cherub Choir members (grades K-2) rehearse 30 minutes a week (5:45-6:15 p.m.) during the “Wonderful Outrageous Wednesdays” after-school LOGOS program here at our church from mid-September through mid-April.  Cherubs sing for a worship service once each month.  They also sing at the Christmas Eve service and for Mother’s Day.  Loving parents bring their children each week to be a part of this group. The children bring their boisterous good spirits and willing hearts to each rehearsal and to the task of learning to sing together for God’s glory.

Julie Kohring, our Volunteer Cherub Choir Director, comes to our young children each Wednesday after teaching middle school students in the public schools during the day.  She brings with her a wealth of musical talent and experience and a love for children.