As the Old Expression Goes…
As the old expression goes, a photo is worth a thousand words. I could create a fantastic photo album with images of all of the beautiful moments that have transpired in the past few weeks within the life of the music ministry of this parish.
The album would start with photographs taken at Lutheridge, where 12 ringers attended a weekend long handbell retreat February 27-March 1. There would be photographs of unloading the bells and chimes from my Wagoneer, setting up tables, mass ringing with 100+ fellow handbell musicians, meals shared with new friends, hours and hours of practice, workshop attendance on ringing techniques, and lots of photos of laughter and community building as evenings were spent sharing stories and playing games of Uno.
Next would be photographs of our choristers and clergy, who offered a beautiful service of Choral Evensong on Sunday, March 8th. There would be photos of the elegant reception that followed, where parishioners and guests had the opportunity to visit and socialize and share. My deep thanks to all who prepared and made possible the wonderful reception.
The next pages would include photographs from last weekend’s trip to Charlotte. Eight of our choristers attended the 2026 Carolinas Treble Festival, hosted by Alan Reed and the people of St. John’s Episcopal Church, located in the South Park area of Charlotte. Included would be photographs of fifty youth from six parishes, singing together, learning together, and playing together. There would be photos of laughter and hard work. There would be photos of kids playing at Ray’s Splash Planet following an intense day of music making. There would be photos of our parish families enjoying the various opportunities provided in Charlotte.
I was honored to serve as the director of this year’s festival, the 20th anniversary of the event. Videos from the weekend will be posted soon. All of the choristers sang with skill and heart and beauty. I was so proud of our eight choristers and the music they offered at the 10:15 A.M. Eucharist and 3:00 P.M. Choral Evensong at St. John’s. For the singers, they together, built a community. While it only lasted the weekend, friendships were formed, and the music they offered moved hearts and changed lives. For those involved in the organization of the weekend, it was a triumph! The Carolinas Treble Festival will be hosted at Christ Church, Greenville, SC, in 2027, St. Luke’s, Salisbury in 2028, and St. Michael’s, Raleigh in 2029.
The final pages of the photo album would include the Emmanuel Choir, several choristers, and guest soloists, who offered John Maunder’s moving Lenten cantata, Olivet to Calvary, on Friday. The work is a reflection of the final days of Christ, as told through the music, drama, and libretto of the early 20th century. The choir sang with incredible expression, beauty, conviction, and skill. I was so incredibly proud of the offering they made on Friday. A video will be released at the end of this coming week, such that their work and this story can be shared with the world.
Included in this E-mmanuel are four photos that capture just a sense of all of the good work that has taken place these past few weeks within the music ministry of this parish. While I cannot create a physical photo album that included all that went on, I know that it exists in some form in the hearts and minds of all those involved in the musical offerings made these past few weeks. Of course, there were some tough moments interspersed in those weeks, including a trip to the ER for my young son August, who had a fall in the St. John’s Parish Hall that necessitated stitches. Amazingly, Amanda and August were back in time for Evensong! A special thanks to Eileen Pugh, the nurse from Christ Church, Greenville, and Sarah Taylor of Holy Trinity Greensboro, for your assistance. And, unfortunately, I was involved in an automobile accident on Friday after Bach’s Lunch, but no one was hurt, and the man who hit me taught me some things about horses.
Life is a series of mountaintop experiences, moments in the depth of the valley, and everything in between, yet all of those moments are best shared together. While the spreading of the Gospel is our first priority as church, the second is forming and holding together the community of Christ, walking together, sharing together, loving together, and being together in the vast and fantastic dream God has for us.
I am incredibly proud of the work that all of the singers and ringers of Emmanuel have done these past few weeks. They have worked to deepen their abilities, to offer music at the highest level, to love one another, to build and share community, and do it all because of their love of God, and their awareness of Christ’s redemption given freely for us all. Please be sure to thank all of the many musicians who are working so hard to create and offer beauty for our community. Their efforts are at the very soul of this place called Emmanuel.