LOOKING BACK ON THE YEAR 2005: A CHOIR PERSPECTIVE

Senior Choir

The spirit of Christmas moved right into 2005 with the relief concert put on by Tracy Friars for tsunami victims. Many from our choir participated and attended the concert and I think music and what it can do for those around us really set the stage for 2005.

Easter arrived relatively early and once again we had the opportunity to sing as a combined choir with St. David’s United Church on Good Friday. It was soon after Easter that Evelyn Backa and Marilyn Roberston started all the work in preparing for our church’s 40th anniversary later in the fall. There was a lot of preparation involved as numerous letters had to be mailed out to present and past church members.

The choir held 2 services at the Loch Lomond Villa in 2005. The residents at The Villa who attend the church services are very enlightening and they never fail to impress me or bring a smile to my face as they sing ALL the hymns without a book in front of them. I had come to realize that one particular gentleman had a great voice as well as a great memory so I asked him if he’d like to join us in the choir. No sooner was he up there in his wheel chair with us. Later on in October when we went back to the Villa, I asked him if he’d like to sing a solo and he was quite touched and sang “In the Garden”. As a choir, I think I speak for all of us when I say we truly love worshipping with those at The Villa.

Early September the choir and congregation were very blessed to have Jane Reinhart and Rev. Peter share their ministry of music in singing “He’s More Wonderful”. Although official choir practices had ended in June, each Sunday Jane & Rev. Peter were practicing for this very special piece of music. It was a pleasure to be part of something so touching. I look forward to the next selection. Thank you both for your gift of music.

October 29th marked our 40th Anniversary Memorial Hymn Sing organized by Evelyn and Marilyn. It was a huge success! Rev. Peter sang a solo, Ruth & Bobby sang a duet, we had a quartet with Mert, Patty, Ken & Ruth, John and Ken had solo parts – who am I leaving out? The choir had a great time! I had asked Barb Hill if she would be interested in playing some of the music that night and I can still hear her singing “Amazing Grace” with the choir softly echoing in the background. It was so inspiring. After the service, the choir received a letter from a member of the congregation stating that listening to all the old hymns made her think about the music her grandparents probably grew up singing in the church. One way or another, we were all grateful for the Memorial Hymn Sing.

Immediately after the October festivities, we started working on the Christmas Cantata “A Great Day!” And I think it was a GREAT DAY when the accompaniment CD finally arrived December 6 – leaving us with 2, maybe 3 practices, with it. I chose this Cantata partly because it brought back memories from my childhood and Sunday School days as most of the songs in the Cantata I learned as a child. When I flipped through it and saw that there was a part for a children’s choir, my decision had been made – this was the Cantata.

As we got into the Cantata practices, I had realized and accepted that the piano accompaniment was not what I had hoped for and to really make this come alive, I needed more “umph” to the music. I left my comfort zone and ordered the accompaniment CD knowing full well I’d have to wave good bye to my bench and stand behind the new music stand. There were a few rough practices along the way as when you direct, well YOU direct and that was hard for me. Many choir members continually provided guidance and offered suggestions to me and for that I am grateful. The cantata taught me more about myself than any of you will imagine and it also brought me great peace in knowing how high the beliefs others have in you can really lift you. As we’ve realized before, God is with us in our music and in our song and I’ve never felt that presence more than I did December 18th.

We are very thankful to Paula Scott for recruiting extra Junior Choir members. We truly appreciated and enjoyed the help from Rachel Prosser, Kristen Scott, Stephanie Hollet, Julia Reid and Jacqueline Young. Hats off to all the Junior Choir members for a great cantata and a great 2005: Sarah Hill, Jessica Buckley, Emma & Ian Crowley. Thanks to Bethany Young and Ryan Floyd for narrating the cantata – superb job guys!

Thank you to Mert and Steve & Patty Downey for bringing in stereo equipment week after week and setting us up electronically.

The early Christmas Eve service consisted of 4 solos: Julia Reid, Stephanie Hollet, Rosalie Hanlon and Emma Crowley. Later on in the evening we heard the choir sing “Gentle Mary” and we heard solos from Ruth Buckely and Rosalie and unfortunately Stacia Smallwood was not able to sing but we welcome her music any Sunday. You all sang beautifully and we appreciate your ministry of music.

I’d also like to thank all the children who played preludes through the month of December. Your ministry of music to the congregation is much appreciated. Also, thanks to Jacqueline Young (violin) and Marilyn Robertson (piano) for accompanying me with service music in December.

Junior Choir

Junior Choir practices are from 6:30-7:15 pm Thursday evenings at the church. To date we have 4 members and we welcome any other child in the congregation who enjoys singing to come out and sing with us. If your child is interested in singing, please come out and sing with us at Junior Choir! Ruth Buckley, Bonnie Demmons and Angela MacLean direct the Junior Choir.

In 2005 the Junior Choir sang approximately once per month, sometimes more during special seasons in our church year. I would sincerely like to thank the children for all their devotion to the choir – you are a fun bunch to work with!

From your organist and choir director, a sincere thanks to the congregation for encouraging the choirs to keep singing and worshipping God through song, to Rev. Peter our minister for helping make sure we have appropriate music for the worship service and to the Senior & Junior choirs for your utmost dedication and commitment. 2005 was a great year and I look forward to working with all of you in 2006.

Respectfully submitted,
Angela MacLean, Organist and Choir Director

Raise the Roof!

"Give us a vision clear and strong!" This CD has been recorded and produced as a fund raiser for Quispamsis United Church. In January 2002, it became evident that the roof of the Church needed to be replaced. The cost would be enormous but not impossible with a little bit of fundraising. The Quispamsis United Church Choir loves to sing and has wanted to record a CD for quite some time. In March, preparation got underway for this production, and the CD was recorded on October 19, 2002. All proceeds from this CD will go towards the funding for the new roof, replaced in September 2002. Thank you for your support.

If you would like to purchase this CD, contact Angela MacLean at (506) 694-6443.

Hear some short selections from "Raise the Roof"
You will need to have an MP3 player installed in your computer.

Church in the Wildwood

My God is Real

The complete CD includes:

Pictures of the Choir at Work and Play

Weather wise, 2003 has started off to be quite a challenging year for the choir. If it didn’t snow on Thursday, it sure did on Sunday! As a result of the weather, many choir members opted for better weather and decided to visit Florida, warm islands, or go on cruises. If you are looking to plan a vacation in the near future, I think we could offer a lot of good suggestions ?

Despite the travelers among us, we have still sung a lot of music and many different varieties. The men of the choir are currently preparing a few anthems of their own. Thanks to Marlene for finding some old favorites for us to sing. Thanks to Ross and Jane for leading us with their guitars as it creates for a special sounding treat. And last but not least, thanks to Anastasia (Stacia) Smallwood for singing - we were all very delighted to have you sing and look forward to the next song. It’s worth repeating that if any of you have an interest in playing an instrument or singing in church, we would strongly encourage you to do so. Music is an important part of our church and can be shared by all. Please speak to me or any member of the choir if you’re interested in being part of the ministry of music at Quispamsis United Church.

We are now starting to prepare for what’s ahead with the Lenten and Easter seasons upon us. We have a guest soloist coming to sing on March 30 and are looking forward to having St. David’s choir with us on Good Friday. Over the next few months you will also get to hear a few more solos, a trio, a few other variations, and also the children who sing with Rosalie. There is also some preliminary planning in the works for an Evening of Song with Park Avenue United Church – stay tuned for more details!

And last but not least, the choir still has about 80 CDs left to sell. If you or anyone you know is interested in purchasing a CD, please speak to me or any member of the choir. It would be great if we could sell the remaining 80 CDs by the end of June!

The Quispamsis United Church choir consists of about 25 very dedicated people. We have choir practice every Thursday evening from 7:30-9pm and we are always looking for new members. If you have an interest in being part of this group, please come out and sing with us sometime. You do not have to sing well, rather just be interested in singing with us, and have a great sense of humor. If you have any questions about the choir, please feel free to speak to me, Angela, or any member of the choir.

Quispamsis United Church recently began to use the hymn book of the United Church which is titled Voices United. Some of the new books have been donated in memory of loved ones and others were purchased by the congregation from the Memorial Fund. On November 15, 1998 during morning worship the new hymn books were dedicated and placed in the pews. Below are some quick facts about Voices United adapted from an information pamphlet prepared by the worship committee of St. James'-Rosemount United Church in Ontario.