For those who need more than three hymns a week, we have choirs and
handbell groups for all ages and abilities. The adult choir welcomes
anyone with a desire to sing. This desire is what produces a beautiful
sound to God. Our children and youth also participate in singing
groups, sometimes split according to age, and other times all praising
God together. We have also acquired a set of African drums this past summer, with which we have been livening up our Day Camp and youth anthems.
Our handbells are active at many levels. The
adult group takes on more challenging music, though we welcome all who
understand the basic rudiments of reading music. These skills are
taught in the beginning and intermediate handbell groups, currently
made up of elementary and middle/high school students respectively.
But adults who wish to learn more are certainly welcome to practice and
play with us. All of our groups often travel to perform for many of
our shut-ins and area retirement homes.
There are many ways to celebrate the Lord musically at Forest Park.
The most obvious example is the congregational singing of hymns. We
still sing the old hymns because we feel they are the most appropriate
and theologically correct means of worshiping God. This is not to say
that we are opposed to the more "contemporary" music to which many in
our congregation listen while away from church. Some of our SPF-12 youth members will actually be forming a contemporary ensemble this January. Plus, many of our choir
anthems and more recent hymns often lean in this direction. In fact,
singing the old hymns with the piano and organ keeps alive our musical
heritage while providing room for some of the newer material. |