More Noise FRom The Music Office

I’m Listening!

It was a Sunday morning in 1978 or1979, I don’t remember exactly, but I was on the road and passing through Billings. Several of the band members and I decided to go to church so we headed down to First United Methodist Church, where the very nice lady at whose house we were staying was a member. As we walked in there was a fellow up front taking requests from the congregation for hymns. Now being a working musician this struck me as a very brave thing to do, we don’t encourage people to shout out their favorite song otherwise we might spend a whole evening playing “Freebird” and “When The Saints Go Marching In”. But there he was and the people were responding with a lot of great requests from the hymnal. Our pianist wanted to request “The Pina Colada Song” but we managed to restrain her. In any event that is about the only thing I remember from that service. Granted, I don’t remember a lot from the seventies, but that made a lasting impression! Recently folks from the congregation have asked me if we could do hymn requests again so, starting March 10th the second Sunday of the month will be “Hymn Request Sunday”. Show up at 10:20am and we will sing your request from the red or the black hymnal. And no, “Stairway To Heaven” is not a hymn!

Your Opinion Please.

I want to publish results from several questions I’ve posed to the choir and the congregation by the end of March. The questions are:
How many times a month do you want to see the choir sing?
How many times a month could you commit to sing?
How many times a month do you want the choir to rehearse?
How many times a month could you commit to rehearsing?

If you have already responded to these questions, thank you! But I need to hear from as many people as possible, so if you are a singer answer all the questions. If you are not a singer but have an opinion please answer question one and get your answers to me. You can E-mail me at, RSAP@AOL.COM, visit our blog at http://fumcmusic.blogspot.com/, or just put your answers in my box at church. Any way you do it your voice will be heard. And always remember, I’m listening!

Ralph SappingtonDirector of Worship Arts