Together, We Sing!

America’s beloved children’s choir expert, Helen Kemp (1918-2005) had a wonderful chant which she uses regularly with her children’s choirs and in her workshops with adults:

“Body, mind, spirit, voice, it takes the whole person to sing and rejoice!”

This wonderful chant became Helen’s guiding principle throughout her ministry.  It reminds us that singing is not only the physical act of the vocal chords and the breath, but an act that involves the whole body, our minds, and our spirit.  When we sing, our whole being is in engaged in proclaiming our faith. Each time we sing together we engage in an activity that builds community; a form of meditation and prayer, and a form of praise and proclamation.  Singing together helps us share in the joys and the sorrows of our community. When we sing together we give and receive a wonderful gift, and this is a most beautiful thing.

A few weeks ago our organ builder, Martin Pasi, was with us and presented a forum on organ building and the new organ he is building for Saint George’s.  He remarked to me and others about how wonderful it was to hear the whole congregation singing together in worship. This special gift we share together is one of the reasons our organ committee chose Martin to build an instrument for Saint George’s.  His instruments excel at leading congregational singing. This is in part due to the meticulous and the detailed care that he and his team put into voicing each of the over 2000 pipes our new instrument to ensure they freely sing in our space. I am so excited for us to experience singing together with our new instrument.  The combining of these two beautiful gifts – our singing together and our new instrument - will most certainly move us more deeply into the mysteries of God, and the results of that on our spirits and our actions here on earth are beyond measure. 

“Body, mind, spirit, voice, it takes the whole person to sing and rejoice!”

Soli Deo Gloria!

Ben Keseley, Minister of Music