Music

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An Overview of the Church's Music and Choir Programs
by the Director of Music Ministry, Ned Wetherald
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We want you to know a few things about our Music Ministry and invite you to participate.  We subscribe to the "Y'all come!" school of auditioning, no auditions are used with any of our music groups.  If you have the interest, can make thee time and the commitment – you're welcome!  We'll do our best to help you along and make sure you blend in with the group.

We also try to program an eclectic mixof music.  The first time I heard the word "eclectic" I had to go home and look it up. Eclectic means "Selecting or employing individual elements from a variety of sources, systems, or styles" and we would take that one step further and say that we try to select the best music from a variety of sources and styles.

Let me define one more word.  For the purposes of our Music Ministry, the word "adult" means people who are of high school age, college age, and any age beyond.  Our music is better when the musicians are a blend of ages, experiences, and tastes.


Chancel Choir
​Our Chancel Choir meets on Thursdays, 7:00-8:30 pm (September - May) and leads worship at one of our Sunday morning services almost weekly during the program year.   We sing an eclectic mix of music.  Understanding your busy lives, we have a liberal attendance policy for rehearsals and Sundays.  All interested adults (see definition above) are invited.  Currently we do not have childcare available, but would be delighted to arrange childcare if the need arises.

Thanks to a generous donation, the Chancel Choir received new choir robes in September 2016.  They were dedicated during worship on September 25.


Handbell Choir
Handbell Choir meets on Tuesdays, 7:15-8:15 pm beginning in September.  We learn music to ring in worship and in the spring prepare for the Nittany Valley Handbell Festival.  A little music reading helps but is not a requirement!  We are proud of the mixture of ages and town and gown in this ensemble.  All interested adults (see definition above) are welcome!

For more information, contact Ned Wetherald, Director of Music Ministry by phone at 814-238-2422.

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Candlelight Choir
Each December, we hold a Candlelight Choir Service.  Instrumentalists - If you are interested in playing in an instrumental group or if you would be interested in playing a solo for a prelude or offertory, please contact Ned to discuss the possibilities by phone at 814-238-2422.

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Our Hybrid Organ
The installation of our hybrid organ was completed in 2012 as part of the Building Restoration Campaign.  In addition to the 1800+ pipes that we have had since 1967, many new digital sounds have been added to the organ.  This qualifies it to be a "hybrid." You've probably noticed that the console (keyboards) has a new home on the floor.  This was to enable the organ technicians to move the console to the center of the room to better hear the sounds as they "voiced" the entire organ.    Voicing gives each organ sound its unique qualities, balances each organ sound with the other organ sounds, makes the sounds fit the room, and gives the organ character.  We liked the versatility this location offered so we decided to keep it there.