When I was growing up, I couldn’t wait for the holiday season when all the Peanuts specials would air. Most of the original Charlie Brown era happened between 1969 and 1980, so by the time I can remember in the mid-1980’s, the networks were only showing It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown around Halloween, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and A Charlie Brown Christmas. VHS tapes were just coming around and streaming services were decades away, so if I missed them when they aired, I would sulk and then wait another year for the next airing.
One of the things I loved most was the music. A combination of catchy modern jazz and classic holiday hymns and folk songs, it never failed to captivate me and make me want to be part of the gang. The singing wasn’t good. But it was joyful and familiar and full of holiday spirit.
That kind of wide open, joyful singing is what I think about when I think of church music. Some of the logistics have evolved over the last several years - sometimes we have a hymnal in our hands, sometimes we’re looking at a screen. Sometimes we’re led by a piano and a soloist, or a youth ensemble, or a praise band. Whether we’re singing from the hymnal or a newer praise song, the idea that everyone can sing along is important to me.
We all have a different level of skill, but that doesn’t mean you can't or shouldn't sing during worship. There is nothing like the feeling of being in the middle of 50 or 100 voices singing A Mighty Fortress is Our God or Blessed Be Your Name.
The best thing is, if you miss singing one Sunday, you don't have to wait another year before you get to sing along again. In another week, we'll sing another set of songs that you can sing along with, too. If there is something we can do to make it easier for you, let me know. I want that part of worship to be as participatory as possible.
As we prepare for the new program year beginning with Rally Day on September 18, we're finding ways to bring back some of the ensembles we haven't been able to have the last couple years. Versions of choir, youth band, and children singing will all return.
If you’d like to participate in an ensemble let me know. Play an instrument? We’ll find a way to include you in worship. I can’t wait to hear what kind of sound we can make this season.
Yours in music,
John Johns
Director of Music (