Gift of Serving
This next week will be filled with musical activities. On Friday, February 21st, at 12 Noon, the North Carolina Baroque Chamber Players will be our musical guests for our next Bach’s Lunch Recital. With a passion for bringing new life to old music, these professional musicians, who specialize in the historically informed performance of 17th and 18th century music, will offer works by Heinrich Biber, Henry Lebedinsky, Marco Uccellini, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Arcangelo Corelli. Friday's Bach's Lunch will feature Martie Perry and David Wilson, Baroque violin, Barbara Krumdieck, Baroque cello, and Barbara Weiss, harpsichord. Bring a friend, bring a brown bag lunch, and be transported to the Baroque era.
Next Saturday, February 22nd, our church will be filled with the sounds of young singers as choristers from North Carolina and South Carolina will spend the day rehearsing music as part of the 2025 Carolina Treble Festival. Their hard work will then be used to support the music at our Sunday, February 23rd 10 A.M. Eucharist and a 3 P.M. Choral Evensong. (Please note the earlier than normal time.) Kevin Kerstetter, the organist/choirmaster of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Raleigh, will serve as the Treble Fest Director. I will serve as organist. It has been more than 30 years since Emmanuel has hosted this type of event and I am beyond thrilled about the gifts that these visiting singers will bring to our parish community.
If you would like to assist, I could use some volunteers to assist on Saturday with morning registration, snacks, and lunch set-up and clean-up. On Sunday, I could use some assistance with set up and clean up for a post-Evensong reception, as well as food and beverage for the post-Evensong reception.
Many thanks to all who attended my presentation last Sunday, either in person or virtually, about the history of Emmanuel. Researching the history of our parish is a personal labor of love. When I first started to approach the subject in 2010, it was mostly connected with discovering the history of music in our parish. Of course, as often happens, when you start in one place, you end up in another, and many of my articles through the years have been products of the type of questions I always ask, “Why is it this way?” or “How did this get here?” or “Who were these people?” In my work, I have discovered that some of the oral tradition that has been part of our parish story, particularly as the years have passed, has created misunderstandings about our history, or, unfortunately, blurred the truth.
Our parish has a deep and rich history. Part of my mission is to uncover our parish history as fully as I can, such that we can gain a better understanding of ourselves, particularly as we look to the future. I also hope to ensure that we appreciate and remember those who came before us, recognize the decisions that have been made, discern the work left undone, and honor the gifts that have been given to form this Episcopal outpost in the Sandhills of North Carolina. I only wish I had a few months away from my musical duties to research and write, because the deeper I dig, the more interesting are the discoveries about this place. That knowledge, I want everyone to have. To that end, I’ve spent time this week refining the slides of my PowerPoint presentation, adding detail such that they can tell the story of our early days without my narration. Those slides will be available very soon on a Century Project webpage currently in creation that will be accessible from our website.
Late on Thursday night, after finishing rehearsals and having practiced the organ, I walked into the darkness towards my car parked on Ridge Street. Tucked into the handle of my car door was a single red rose. It was fragrant and perfectly formed. There was no note. If I was a Roman Catholic, I might wonder if it was a gift from the Virgin Mary. As an Episcopalian though, I accepted it as a sweet Valentine’s Day gift from someone certainly known, yet unknown. It was a sweet surprise, and one that lifted my spirits. Intentional or not, sign or not, miracle or not, the rose reminded me of God’s immense love for each of us. That is indeed the message of Emmanuel - Love. That is the real reason why there is an Episcopal Church here in Southern Pines – Love. That is indeed the reason, the how, the why, and, ultimately, the gift of serving together in this parish – Love.
Dr. Homer A. Ferguson III
Organist/Choirmaster