After much talk about our weekend worship schedule at Union Church, our Executive Council has voted to have two Sunday morning services beginning September 12. Both services will be in the Sanctuary. The 9:00 service will be traditional in style and format with music mainly led by the Chancel Choir and organ. The 10:30 service will be more varied in style using a variety of instruments that include piano, guitar and drums. Our three handbell choirs, children and youth choirs and women’s ensemble will participate occasionally at both services. There is much planning and preparation to be done before next fall to fulfill our goal of providing musical excellence at both services.
I would like to issue a special invitation to new Chancel Choir members. Through the years a number of people have said to me that they would like to join the choir but could not commit to weekly Thursday evening rehearsals in addition to the Sunday morning commitment. Beginning this fall, we plan to meet on Sunday mornings at 8:15, sing at the 9:00 service, have a short coffee break, rehearse until around 11:00 for the next Sunday, and eliminate the regular Thursday evening rehearsals. We will need to have an evening rehearsal with the brass ensemble before Easter and an occasional extra rehearsal if we do another program with combined choirs from several churches like the very successful Advent Concert and Hymn Festival we did last December, and we would like to have a "kick-off" rehearsal on Thursday, September 9 to work ahead a few weeks and have a social time to welcome (we hope) new members, but the regular weekly time commitment will be reduced to less than three hours on Sunday morning. This will give us approximately one hour less rehearsal time each week than we have now. Our goal is to have the 9:00 service end at 9:50 on most Sundays. Instead of singing two anthems, which we usually do now, we will sing one anthem each Sunday. The choir will have more presence in the service and take a larger leadership role by singing introits, prayer and benediction responses and restoring processionals and recessionals. We will have our summer "shirt sleeve choir" (no robes) on the second Sundays in July and August. We will meet in the choir room at 9:00 and sing at the 10:00 service on July 11 and August 8. Please accept this invitation to come and see how you like it on those Sundays before you make a commitment for the fall.
I don’t know yet what name the group of musicians who provide leadership for the new 10:30 service will choose, but I hope that musicians who are currently active in the Journey and JAM services will continue in the new service. We will also welcome singers and instrumentalists who are not currently participating in the Music Ministry of Union Church who would like to join the new group.
Led by Brad Nye, the Journey Band will participate in the 10:00 service on Music Sunday, April 25, along with Cantate, our new women’s ensemble led by Pat Deckert, the Chancel Choir led by Todd Diehl, and the Allegro Handbell Ensemble. On Music Sunday we will list the names in the bulletin of the approximately 125 people who are involved in the Music Ministry of Union Church. We also thank the parents who support and encourage our children and youth, and the members of the congregation who support our bell choir tours through Market Day and our annual Spaghetti Dinner.
The Allegro Handbell Ensemble will depart after the 10:00 service on Sunday, June 6 for a short tour in Michigan. Our next European tour will be in June, 2011. This will be the choir’s 36th tour since 1975, and will be my 32nd annual tour and 8th European tour with the choir.
This annual Music Sunday page for the Good News should be mostly about the Music Ministry of Union Church, but I would like to take a moment of personal privilege this year. The photo above was taken when I was 12 at the Methodist Church in Welcome, North Carolina where I began playing three services per week in 1961. 2011 will be my 50th year as a church musician. During those years I have played for at least one church service each Sunday and for two or more services each Sunday for 45 of those years. That comes out to approximately 4750 Sunday services plus an estimated 500 funerals and maybe 1000 weddings. This information is a prelude to my announcement that I plan to retire from Union Church next year.
My final service will be on Sunday, August 14, 2011, which will complete 32 ½ years on the church staff. It’s been a great run and I look forward to giving my leadership and support as we move into a new worship schedule and format with all the challenges and possibilities that brings. I would like for my last year at Union Church to be filled with the highest quality music we can produce for worship services that are presented for the glory of God. Thank you for all the support you give to our Music Ministry.
Michael Surratt
Director of Music Ministries
Union Church of Hinsdale, U.C.C.