St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Simcoe, Ontario,

Choir Notes 2008

Philosopher and writer Henry David Thoreau said it first, and TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey paraphrased it. “The essential question is not “How busy are you?” but “What are you busy at? Are you doing what fulfills you?”

If you ask the Senior Choir, the answer is a resounding “Yes!” All of us would agree that our busy schedule spawns a deep sense of fulfillment in our musical ministry.

At the building dedication service on May 11th, alto Heidi Bowman, on the violin, teamed up with Ian Madge, on the organ, to produce an outstanding rendition of “Amazing Grace” that was just as much a pleasure to watch as it was to hear. Thanks to both for such a memorable performance!

Sadly, we were called upon to sing at two funeral services this year – one for Gus, who passed away on February 26, and one for Beth, who passed away on May 15. In Gus’ honour, we sang one of his favourite hymns “Victory in Jesus”, and as we did so, we were reminded of how much fun Gus had with the practical jokes he played on his fellow choir members. Never one to miss an opportunity, Gus would hand one of the tenors a hymnbook missing the very page we were supposed to sing! You can bet that if we grab a hymnbook now and come up empty-handed, we’ll know that Gus is still at it! The choir will always remember these two special people.

Of course, weddings also mark the calendar of our days at St. Paul ’s and the Choir President's family wedding of daughter Kathleen to Australian-born Tom took place on October 5, 2008. Anne and I would like to personally thank the choir for their beautiful contribution to our family’s special day and to let you know how grateful we are for all the support we received from our St. Paul ’s family.

In other news, bass Jay Bailey stepped out of his choir robes and into his voyager frock to give a presentation at our congregational breakfast in January about his 61- day expedition retracing the steps of Canada ’s voyagers back in the 1700’s. “Walking in the Footsteps of History” was a fascinating and educational talk which highlighted the fact that choir members can and do have an adventurous side! Jay, of course, is not the only one who made a trek across our great country. Ian and I were part of a five-man contingent who conquered the paved pathways of Canada as modern voyagers – except we relied on Harley Davidson and Triumph motorcycles to get us to Calgary and Vancouver respectively, as opposed to Jay’s birch-bark transportation!

Special thanks go out to Jim for hosting a choir party at his home and Ralph for hosting a karaoke party at his cottage in Turkey Point last summer. Both were excellent opportunities for choir members to socialize and enjoy the sweet softness of a summer afternoon. We also wish to thank organist Ian for hosting the choir Christmas party this year – we always look forward to this annual holiday get-together.

It was fun to help alto Lynn celebrate her retirement as administrator of St. Paul ’s Court in November. We gathered at the Blue Elephant for a bit of food and fellowship, and to wish her well in this exciting new chapter in her life.

The coming year promises to be an exciting one as we prepare for the induction service of St. Paul ’s new minister the Reverend Ian Shaw. It’s a good opportunity for anyone who is thinking of joining the choir to come out and have some fun with us. We’re always looking for more members, especially sopranos.

Once again, we’d like to end the year with heartfelt appreciation to Ian, our inspiration and our rock, for shepherding us through the peaks and valleys of our choral ministry. Ian, you make all the difference.