This has been a busy month for the music program here at CPC.
Music Camp was a ton of fun for the 170 children we had attend this year! To handle that many children, we had over 60 teachers and volunteers here during the week helping in many ways. Thank you to all who helped Music Camp remain excellent.
This past Sunday evening various soloists of the church presented A Night of Singing. We are blessed to have many talented musicians in our church. We will definitely have more “nights of singing” in the future.
God has blessed the music ministry here in another way. Here’s how:
Many of you may know Tracy Wright, a regular visitor of our church and band director at Ringgold Middle School. Tracy and I have talked for over a year about handbells and where to find a set for a reasonable price. A four-octave set of new handbells costs $13,000. We were looking for something a little cheaper. After following a few leads, our handbell journey seemed stalled at the end of a dead-end street.
Having put the idea to bed in my own mind, I received a call from Tracy asking me to come down to his band room. He had something he wanted to discuss with me.
When I arrived, Tracy told me that he had found a set of handbells. Tracy and I met with the choral director and the principal to discuss how best to handle the transaction. Since the school had not used these bells in 10 years and they were in need of repair, the only thing they asked in return was the possibility of having a concert in our sanctuary at some future date. I agreed and was then struck by God’s mysterious ways; only after I thought there was no conceivable way to find bells at a reasonable price, did God give us bells at no cost.
After having the bells examined by the Schulmerich handbell representative, it was determined that in order to have the bells restored to proper playing condition it would cost approximately $2500. This will ensure that these bells stay in an excellent state for years of ministry opportunities.
Once the bells are repaired, a handbell choir will be formed. This choir will meet regularly and present music in worship about four times a year and in the Christmas concert. In January we will begin using the bells with our older children’s choir to teach them how to play bells as well as how to read music and rhythms. Through bell ringing, the musicianship of our younger members can be developed.
Having handbells presents a wonderful opportunity to enhance our worship of the Lord Jesus Christ. I ask you to prayerfully consider helping this ministry get off the ground. If you can help cover any of the $2500 cost of repairing the bells and are so compelled, please do so. This was not expected, and therefore was not budgeted. Any help in establishing the handbell program is greatly appreciated.
It’s been a busy summer for the music program. I pray it gets busier soon.
Jeremy Gaines