Music Ministry at St. Paul’s
Bob Melvin, Youth minister and Director of 8:45 Music
Jan Littrell, Parishioner and organizer of Handbell Choir
Dr. Douglas-Jayd Burn, Organist and Choirmaster
Speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; sing and make music to the Lord in your hearts. –Ephesians 5:19
Join with us in community as we make music to the Lord!
The Music Ministry of St. Paul’s expresses God’s love through bands, bells, and choirs! While each musical element is unique in its practice and presentation in worship, we are all joined in our love for music and its incredible power to inspire and uplift us in the spirit of Christ.
“The Band in Black” played at the Johnny Cash Eucharist last Sunday.
Bands
A new program year at St. Paul’s always brings with it a renewed sense of mission, of calling, and of community, and we are certainly feeling it in the band. We just had a raucous and joyful celebration with the music of Johnny Cash, and after worshipping together all summer long with organ and choir, we are about to cycle back into our 8:45 and 10:45 service schedule – providing ample opportunity for singers and musicians of all ages to join us in worship!
The 8:45 a.m. Sunday service features music led by a band, and is by turns traditional and modern, featuring a mix of hymns and worship songs from various eras and traditions. Musicians and singers are welcome at any time, and there is no regular midweek rehearsal. Music and materials are sent out every week, and we gather at 8 a.m. Sunday mornings to rehearse before the service. The band also participates in many special services and events throughout the year, like Beer and Pop and Carols, the annual Christmas Pageant and Passion Play, and our themed summer Eucharists.
If you sing or play an instrument, no matter your age or training, the 8:45 band is a wonderful venue for fun and community, and we would love to have you – simply contact Bob Melvin at [email protected]!
Handbells at Worship service.
Bells
St. Paul’s has had handbell choirs over the years but, during the Covid pandemic, the handbells were silenced. One year ago, Steven Cosnek and Jan Littrell resurrected the handbell choir and sent out a general call to the congregation to see if they would like to participate. The response was overwhelming! We currently have almost 20 regular ringers and are always looking for more. We are an inclusive community, and our handbell community is open to everybody, whether you have a musical background or not. We frequently offer workshops in Basic Musical Notation and Ringing Techniques for those who are new to handbells. We are particularly interested in welcoming children to our group; we believe handbell ringing is an excellent way to introduce children to music or complement the music lessons they already have.
This summer, Director Emily Keene and Jan Littrell were fortunate to attend the National Handbell Seminar in Hartford CN, and they brought back lots of ideas and networking opportunities. In September, we’re excited to offer a workshop taught by Nancy Lutz, Director Emerita of Three Rivers Ringers, and one of the Founding Directors of the Western PA Handbell Festival. This workshop would be appropriate for beginning ringers.
We rehearse on Thursday evenings 6 pm – 7 pm. If you would like to join us, we would love to have you. Just contact Jan Littrell at janlittrell@gmail or text at 814-312-4669. We hope to hear from you soon.
Chancel Choir sings at 10:45 worship service.
Chancel Choir
St. Paul’s is renowned for its rich choral legacy within its music ministry, and the Chancel Choir at St. Paul’s will continue its tradition of offering glorious and reverent ceremonial singing at the 10:45 a.m. service. Music is the current upon which the liturgy flows in the traditional service structure, and members of the Chancel Choir offer their voices throughout by leading hymns, psalm intoning, and the service music which unifies our vocal praise during worship. Comprised of adult volunteers of diverse backgrounds, including members currently attending college to those that have sung in choirs for most of their life, the choir offers a diverse repertoire that features historic staples by composers of the past as well as anthems and musical works of this century that feature a variety of contrasting styles and genres. In addition to our voices, our music is further glorified as we are accompanied by our magnificent and mighty Schantz pipe organ (Opus 2156, 1998) and other instrumental music that features the many musical gifts and talents our members have to offer.
The Chancel Choir rehearsals for 2024-2025 are Thursday evenings from 7:15pm until 9:00 PM during the program year, and again on Sunday morning at 9:45 a.m. prior to worship. Musical training, reading ability, and choral singing experience are plusses but not requirements. The Chancel Choir is a great source of fellowship, musicianship, and joyful spirituality; we are always excited to feature the talents and gifts of our members in worship. Please consider joining us for the communion of music making! For more information about the Chancel Choir, instrumental music, programmed selections, and other questions regarding the 10:45 a.m. service, please reach out to Dr. Douglas-Jayd Burn, Organist and Choirmaster at [email protected] or (412) 531-7153 x 16.
Those of us who delight in the many aspects of the music ministry at St Paul’s know that the sum of the music at St. Paul’s is much greater than the individual parts. We have many participants who sing in the Choir and also ring handbells, or who play in the Band and also sing in the Choir. We welcome you to any and all of these groups with open arms, and treasure whatever interests and abilities you are willing to share with the St Paul community.
ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA!
English