Music Ministry | First Baptist Church, Mount Gilead

Music

The mission of our Music Ministry is to provide appropriate music for worship and other activities in the life of the church.

The music employed in worship at First Baptist comes from a range of traditions. The congregation's hymnody is rooted largely in the German and English works of the Reformation and also includes many of the familiar gospel songs of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. At the same time, the church doesn't see the list as 'closed' and is always ready to embrace a new hymn if it is theologically sound and offers a fresh expression of worship.

Service music is usually played on organ or piano and often reflects the church's hymn traditions. The organ prelude does not begin prior to the service, but at the start of the worship hour, as it is considered the first act of worship. The congregation sits in silent meditation during the prelude.

Completed in 1997, the Sanctuary's Casavant Memorial Organ, a II/15 pipe instrument designed in the French tradition, is ideally sized for the 250-seat room. The organ is used regularly for preludes, postludes and hymn accompaniment. Click here to download a profile of the organ from Casavant Frères (PDF).

The Mason & Hamlin Model A piano is a 5' 8.5" grand finished in satin black. As is typical with the Mason & Hamlin instruments, it produces a full, rich tone throughout its range, and this particular piano is well-suited to the worship space. The piano is used regularly for choral selections and offertories, and it joins the organ in accompanying hymns.

The Sanctuary Choir averages 10-12 singers and provides music for worship services year-round. The choir rehearses weekly and presents anthems from a wide range of styles and traditions, with about three-fourths of our selections from the modern choral repertoire of the late twentieth century and forward. All singers are welcome to join the choir, which usually rehearses at 5:00 p.m on Sundays. Please check the Activities Calendar for the current choir schedule.

Our Music Ministry also includes a bell choir which plays occasionally, and we participate in combined choirs for ecumenical worship during Holy Week and at Thanksgiving. We also support the Mount Gilead Community Choir by providing rehearsal and performance space for their annual Christmas concerts. For more information about the FBC Music Ministry, e-mail Johnny Almond or Donna Greene-Burleson from our contact page.

Click here for Sanctuary Choir rehearsal resources