CHANCEL CHOIR
Chancel Choir is open to all adult singers and high school students aged 16 and older. We welcome all who would like to join their voices with ours in song. In addition to singing responses and anthems in worship from September through June, at times the choir performs a major sacred work, such as a cantata or Gloria, or offering the Word in music. Our most recent offering of the Word in music was a service centered on John’s Rutter’s wonderful “Requiem” with instruments. Some highlights of the past few years are Bach’s Reformation cantata, “Gott, der Herr ist Sonn und Schild” (God, the Lord, is Sun and Shield) with instruments, and Daniel Pinkham’s Wedding Cantata and anthems with texts from the Song of Solomon.
Rehearsals for Chancel Choir are Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the music room. We have an additional warm-up and rehearsal of the service music before worship on Sunday mornings. Come join us!
BELL CHOIRS
Chancel Ringers, the adult handbell choir, plays from September through June, about once a month at the Sunday morning service, and for selected special services throughout the liturgical year. This choir is for the ringer with some previous musical reading experience.
Chancel Ringers rehearsals are held on Wednesday evenings from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m. in the chapel. An additional rehearsal is held before morning worship on Sundays when Chancel Ringers is scheduled to play.
“God’s Thunder” is the bell choir for younger members of MPC. Youth in elementary, middle school, and high school are invited to join. No previous experience is necessary, and the ability to read music is not required, but will be acquired throughout rehearsals.
"God’s Thunder" rehearsals are held on Sunday mornings from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m. in the chapel. The choir rings in our Sunday morning worship service three or times a year.
TEEN CHOIR
Teen Choir is open to all youth in grades 6 through 12. We sing approximately every two months, and work on a variety of music throughout the year, in two to three-part harmony.
Teen Choir meets every Sunday immediately after worship at 11:45 a.m. in the Music Room. We often add hand chimes, Orff instruments, percussion or other instruments on the Sundays the teens sing in worship.
CHILDREN'S CHOIR
Children from age two though kindergarten to fifth grade participate in MPC’s Agape Choir. The Agape Choir sings in morning worship several times each year and during the family service on Christmas Eve. They are also worship leaders on Children’s Sunday in the spring. Children not yet in kindergarten will need to have a parent, grandparent or guardian accompany them during rehearsal.
Rehearsals take place during the Sunday morning worship hour. Around 11:00 a.m., after the Time for Young Disciples, the children leave the sanctuary with the music leaders and assemble in the education wing. Here they learn to make a joyful noise, with singing and playing a variety of Orff tuned percussion instruments as well as other rhythm instruments. After the sermon, the children return to the sanctuary to join the rest of the congregation in partaking of the Lord’s Supper, presenting their offering, and being sent into the world as Christ’s disciples.
Singing sacred music provides our children an opportunity to learn scriptural passages and internalize important Christian concepts. Songs about God that they learn “by heart” may guide their thoughts for years to come. The children also learn that what they are doing is not like a performance at school where they GET praise, but an offering where they GIVE praise to the Living God.
All children are welcome to join Agape Choir every Sunday morning.