He who sings - prays twice

Organ and Choral Concert at AFC 6.9.14

Last Saturday we held an Organ and Choral concert at Amersham Free Church to celebrate the rebuild of our 1962 Willis Pipe Organ - it was a terrific evening.

We were celebrating the fact that over £42,000 has been raised to make this rebuild possible.  Churches and their projects are funded by incredibly generous people.

We were celebrating the technical skill of our organ builder and his team of tuners and voicers.  Part of our instrument now has the most up to date software which now drives it in place of miles of wires and cables.  It also has the addition of a trumpet stop in memory of my predecessor The Revd Andrew Busby.

We were most certainly celebrating the musicianship of all those who played or sang on Saturday.  Our in house and visiting organists put the instrument through its paces and the combined choirs just filled the church with such strong singing.

We were, I think, celebrating God.  And music seems such a natural medium through which we naturally seem to do this.

We were in many ways just celebrating life.  A life enhanced by rhythm, melody and sound.

I love music - be it in a concert hall, church or ipod!  And I fully understand that saying: 'He who sings - prays twice'! And I hope our newly rebuilt organ will help us continue to do that for another fifty years!

Best wishes,

Ian