A Note From Father Rob

Hymns of praise, organ pipes bursting with melodious gusts of air, choir members singing out, parishioners singing along to familiar inspirational tunes; this is how a proper Episcopal service should be. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible.

We have been fortunate to have many excellent organists at St. James over the years. We have had four different ones since I came here in 2012, not including our most recent endeavor. However, organists are getting harder and harder to find, especially in our rural communities. So, your vestry is investing in a new approach.

We have contracted with a company to install a mechanism that will allow us to play music through our own organ, without an organist. The new equipment will not hinder anyone from playing our organ as usual, but will allow us to continue to operate our organ in those times when we don’t have an organist. This is very important as our organ would decay rapidly without being played regularly. It will be several weeks before the needed equipment is installed. In the mean time, we will begin using the subscription service which will allow us to play organ music through our sound system. This will be a temporary fix until the whole system is complete.

No doubt, there will be a learning curve we must go through to properly operate the system. This Sunday, we will attempt to play hymns and service music, smoothly and neatly, in all of the appropriate places (please keep Dr. Mark Tucker in your prayers). When we are able to properly do that, then we will see about adding a choir! This is new territory for us all, but in the hopes of having a permanent music solution, we ask for your patience, your understanding and your voices.

Lift every voice and sing! Rob+