The Return of University Orchestra
Hallelujah!Praise God in His holy house of worshipPraise Him under the open skies,Praise Him for his magnificent greatness;Praise with a blast on the trumpet,Praise by stumming soft strings;Praise Him with castanets and dancePraise Him with banjo and flute;Praise Him with cymbals and bass drum;Praise Him with fiddles and mandolin.Let every living , breathing creature praise God!Hallelujah!- Psalm 150 (The Message)
Friends,
I believe it was in 1994 that one of our associate pastors suggested to me that I start a “volunteer” orchestra at our church. I had played several instruments in high school band but had never directed an instrumental ensemble. I prayed about it and asked my dear friend Jay Moyer if he would consider helping me get this project started. I knew that Jay had a long and successful instrumental directing position in the past and would be the one to help get this started.
At our first rehearsal, we had 9 people, all in various stages of musical skill levels. Some had continued to regularly play their instrument and others hadn’t touched theirs for 20 years or more. We started by playing thy hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy” and springs were flying, keypads were falling out, and reeds were splitting. I could not even hear the melody…..BUT, God is faithful.
This is one of the most faithful and committed volunteer groups in our ministry. It is multi-generational and offers students and adults the opportunity to work together to bring worship to our church through their God-given talents.
If you would like to join us, please contact me at We would be blessed to have you.
Blessings, Mary McKay