We're recruiting singers right now!

Killermont Church Choir (Bearsden, Glasgow, Scotland) is in good heart and good voice, but we're always ready to welcome new singers.

See if you're anyone like this:-

• You used to sing in a choir at school
• You used to sing in a choir when you lived somewhere else
• You always enjoyed singing but have never been in a choir
• You enjoy music and fancy a new leisure activity
• ......................................... (fill in your own situation!)

Why not come and give it a try when we meet up again at the end of August? We rehearse on Thursday evenings at church, at 7.30 pm. We always have a tea-break - social networking is very important to us!

The choir is a family - but we're happy to welcome newcomers. Go on - you'll love it!

Sunday 25th June 2006

Killermont is in Summer Sunday mode now. There's a short, informal family service at 9 am, and a "conventional" service at 10.15 am.

Before the 10.15 am service, you heard:- "Oh, my beloved father" and "Nessun dorma" (both by Puccini); during the offering I played "I'll walk with God", from The Student Prince by Brodszky; and we finished with "Crown Imperial", by Walton.


To the kind people who joined us in praying for our friends' daughter over very many months, I am sorry to have to relate that sadly all the doctors' best efforts were not able to win the struggle with cancer. We celebrated her funeral a week ago - it was a very positive celebration of a life filled with enthusiasm, happiness and - yes - a zest for life itself.
The huge smiley balloons in Marie Curie colours were chosen by our friends' daughter as a signal that this was a service to be celebrated. Our thoughts are with the family and many friends coming to terms with their untimely loss.
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www.mariecurie.org.uk You can donate to the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity here.

The family has suggested that charitable donations might also be given to the Ileostomy Association, who offered much support, gratefully appreciated. http://www.the-ia.org.uk

While you say a prayer, you might like to take a cyber-walk through these churchyard gardens, with absolutely fabulous spring flowers: http://www.mooseyscountrygarden.com/english-gardens/churchyard-garden-spring-daffodils.html (The church is St Giles', in London.)

28th May 2006

Today, you heard:-

• Elevation, by Guilmant
• Prelude on Crimond, by Hesford
• Bourree from the Water Music, by Handel
• Fanfare, by Gordon Jacob

Did you enjoy the anthem? "Lord, can this really be", is a hymn from the new Church Hymnary (CH4). Maybe we'll all sing it together one day.

You may remember that over a year ago, I requested your prayers for the daughter of friends of ours. For a few glorious months, it looked as though her health had improved enormously. Sadly, the improvement didn't last, and things are now very bad again. Please pray for her and her family.

Please also pray for the spouse of a colleague of mine, fighting their own battle with cancer and currently undergoing chemotherapy. That's another family whose plans for the next few months have suddenly been up-ended.

If you're currently blessed with good health, give thanks for it!

On Palm Sunday, the band played on. The Choir "rested their voices" (evidently!), for they were in splendid voice for the evening Gospel songs service.

And that brings us to day - Easter Sunday. We had a Sunny Sunrise Service! The best weather we've had yet, in fact. It was still a bit nippy for the guitar-playing minstrels (brrrrr!), but the singing was enthusiastic. The breakfast afterwards was good, too.

For the regular morning service, I played:-

Before the service: You raise me up (Rolf Lovland and Brendan Graham); then Postlude on Laudate Dominum (Rosalie Bonighton).

During the communion: Romance from The Gadfly (Shostakovich), and Domine Deus (Vivaldi's Gloria).

Outgoing voluntary: In Dir ist Freude (J S Bach)

After that - nearly five hours at church! - we scuttled home for lunch, and then some serious Family Fun at Finlaystone. ("Family Fun" is what our youngest son calls any outing when we all go out together! And the more active it is, the more fun - obviously.)

Well, they do say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions - like your organist not updating the Killermont Praise weblog for over a month, maybe?

Faced with the 5.5 mile drive to the frozen heights of Killermont, I might as well have been looking at an ascent of Mount Everest. The image shows my car busily going nowhere on 12th March. (I might add that three little boys joyously frolicked in the snow all morning, and a wonderful time was had by all - including our washing-machine.

Last week, 19th March, we were back in business again. I played the Adagio by Albinoni/Giazotto, a blues piece entitled "Free the Spirit", by Blinko, and the outgoing voluntary was Nun danket, by Karg Elert.

Today, 26th March, I took the final hymn as my musical theme, and played -

• Trio, and Toccatina for flutes, both based on "And can it be", in a setting by Christopher Tambling.
• Sursum corda, by John Ireland
• God so loved the world, by Stainer (during the Offering)
• Concertino on "And can it be", again by Tambling.

Those with observant musical ears may have noticed that for the past two weeks I have played an organ interlude from Stainer's "Crucifixion", as the choir processed in. It's intended to be a signal that worship is about to start - and hopefully to remind everyone of the liturgical season, too.

Look forward to Palm Sunday evening at 6.30 pm, when Killermont Parish Church Choir leads worship in an evening of Gospel songs - some reflective, and others vibrantly joyful. Listen, join in, and just take a break from the busy daily routine to reflect on this special time of year.

Amongst our musical contributions will be a set of spirituals arranged by the gifted American Moses Hogan, who sadly died far too young, quite recently.

Oh, the embarrassment of realising that it is many weeks since this blogspot was updated!

Happy New Year from Killermont Choir!

Today, I played "To a wild rose" (Macdowell) and "In Elysium" (Gluck) before the service. During the offering, I played "The sun whose rays", from The Mikado (Sullivan). The outgoing voluntary was "Monmouth" (Wood).

Sometimes the strangest or seemingly trivial pieces of music just catch our imagination. Thus it was that our recessional, "You shall go out with joy", ended up being sung twice. The children so enjoyed clapping in time to the music that I couldn't resist giving them a repeat!





Permit me to become serious for a moment. Followers of Killermont Praise! will know that we have held the daughter of our friends in our prayers for some time now. After a few months of really encouraging progress, suddenly we hear that things are not so good again. Your prayers would be very welcome at this most difficult time.

Please also pray for a 12-year old known to our oldest son. This boy lost his mother in tragic circumstances last weekend. His mother was a classroom assistant at the school still attended by our two younger boys, so there is great sadness at the school, too. Please pray for a child who now has so much more to cope with, in addition to struggling to adjust to the challenges of a big secondary school. We don't know much about the family, but I'm sure that some prayers for this youngster's future would be very appropriate.

Killermont Parish Church, Beardsen - Choir music for December

4 December - the band will be playing.

11 December
Introit CH4 317, Before the world began (v.1)
Anthem CFC 3 no.32, p.138, O little town of Bethlehem; Walford Davies
Recessional Archer carols p.34, The linden tree carol, v.1

18 December - morning
Introit CFC2 no.1, p.6, A babe is born, I wys (v.1)
Anthem CH4 320, Joy to the world
Recessional CH4 311, Jesus is born, v.1

18 December - there will be a brief afternoon rehearsal.

EVENING LESSONS AND CAROLS

Introit CH4 273, O come, o come, Emmanuel v1-2
Lighting of Advent Candle & Call to Worship
Praise CH4 273, O come, o come, Emmanuel (contd.)
1st Lesson Isaiah 42 verses 1-9, 16 (Ian Steven)
Choir Carol Archer p.14, In dulci jubilo
Prayer
Praise CH4 294, On Christmas night all Christians sing
2nd Lesson John 1 verses 1-18 (David Sherry)
Choir Carol Archer p.20, Lute-book lullaby
Praise CH4 304, O little town of Bethlehem
3rd Lesson Luke 1 verses 26-38 (Catriona Morse)
Choir Carol CFC2 (orange) 17 p.74, Il est ne le divin enfant ; arr. Rutter
Prayers
Praise CH4 301, Hark! The herald angels sing
4th Lesson Luke 2 verses 8-20 (Shona MacLachlan)
Choir Carol CFC 3 no.21 p.89 Hush my dear, lie still
Offering
Offering Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
5th Lesson Luke 2 verses 25-38 (Bill McMillan)
Choir Carol Christ-Child in the manger ; Kenneth Rothery
Praise CH3 191, O come, all ye faithful
Benediction & 3-fold Amen
Choir Carol CFC2 no.39 p.182, The angels and the shepherds18 Dec 2005


24 December - WATCHNIGHT SERVICE 11.30 pm (no Choir)

25 December - CHRISTMAS DAY SERVICE 11 am (no Choir)

1 January - No choir today (NB it is unseemly to shout "Yippee!" Please don't!)

Organ music at Killermont:

20 November - Sarabande, by Arnold Cooke; the Harry Potter theme, by John Williams (much to the delight of our younger members!); and Procession, by Sumsion.

27 November - the first Sunday in Advent - Agnus Dei, from The armed man, by Karl Jenkins; Wachet auf!, by Bach; O come, o come, Emmanuel - two settings, by Rex Koury and Flor Peeters; and Fantasia in C minor, again by Bach.

Thanks are due: visitors to Killermont Praise will be aware that we have been praying for the recovery of a young woman who has been seriously ill for the past year. We are delighted to hear that her family are now much encouraged by her progress. From a position of total despair, there is now considerable hope for the future. Please don't stop praying!

Please pray also for the many other families going through difficult times, whether through the illness of a family member or problems in other areas of their lives. Remember, too, friends and neighbours - perhaps with no church connection at all - whom we know are having a tough time at the moment.

On the 6th November, the Band played. (As it happened, I was in Manchester at a research conference. I delivered my paper, answered questions, went for coffee - and as I glanced at my watch, realised gleefully that I was actually getting it before the rest of you for once, since it still wasn't quite 11 o'clock!)

Which brings me to day, 13th November. Remembrance Sunday.

Before the service, you heard 'Romance', from The Gadfly (Shostakovich), then 'Beautiful Isle of Somewhere' (J. S. Fearis) - guess who has been purchasing new music? During the offering, I played the celebrated 'Adagio' by Samuel Barber. It has particularly come to prominence since the 7/11 disaster. The outgoing voluntary was 'Spitfire', by William Walton.

To adhere to the Remembrance Sunday theme, the Choir sang the Kyrie and Sanctus from 'Mass: The armed man', by Karl Jenkins. The music is atmospheric - very appropriate for the occasion. But I have to say that 'The armed man' is a fifteenth century French chanson (L'homme arme), on which Jenkins based his mass. And that's the only connection with war! Be not deceived!

Our minister was warning us to Beware of false prophets, today. Was it purely coincidental that our neighbourhood suffered an attack of the Jehovah's Witnesses this afternoon? I did tell them to go away. I exercised self-control and kept my car-washing water bucket well away from them. However, I missed my chance to share Alan's comments with them, which was an opportunity wasted! (If interested, you might like to follow this link - it's by a Canadian professor who is no longer a Jehovah's Witness.)

'I Hope You Dance... This was written by an 83-year-old woman to her friend. The last line says it all.

Dear Bertha,

I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting in the yard and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time working.

Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor, not to endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.

I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, or the first Amaryllis blossom. I wear my good blazer to the market. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries. I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties, but wearing it for clerks in the hardware store and tellers at the bank.

"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now. I'm not sure what others would've done had they known they wouldn't be here for the tomorrow that we all take for granted. I think they would have called family members and a few close friends. They might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think they would have gone out for a Chinese dinner or for whatever their favorite food was. I'm guessing; I'll never know.

It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew my hours were limited. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and parents often enough how much I truly love them. I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes, tell myself that it is special. Every day, every minute, every breath truly is a gift from God. Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.

Too many Sunday have passed. No-one will want to know what music was played between 12th September and 23rd October!

Today, 23rd October:- Before the service you heard Entree pontificale, op.104 no.1, by the Italian composer, Bossi. (Maybe this is the first time a Session Clerk has ever entered church with a pontifical Entrance!)

During the Offering, we returned to our roots, with Coronach, by Edgar Barratt. After the service, I played "Hornburg", from the Lord of the Rings.

To answer a question passed on to me indirectly - yes, the organist is sure she could play Ghostbusters. But she thinks she'll pass on that one. Other suggestions and requests are very welcome, however ...

Killermont Parish Church music update!

The organ music on Sunday 4th September was derived from the operatic and orchestral repertoires:-

• Grand March from Aida (Verdi)
• "Chaos", from The Creation (Haydn)
• Nessun dorma (Puccini)
• Trumpet tune from Te Deum (Charpentier)

Meanwhile, the Choir anthem was a Caribbean Lord's Prayer, which tied in with the New Testament reading.

• Prayer points - please continue to pray for the sick, whether anxiously awaiting results of tests, or undergoing treatment. Pray for their families, too, that they find the strength to cope with the worry of their situation.
• Pray for children at Yorkhill Hospital, whether in-patients or outpatients. Help them and their parents to be brave and to trust in the decisions of their medical advisors.
• Pray for asylum-seekers and refugees - spend a few minutes imagining yourself in their shoes, often having no more possessions than what they stand in. Seek guidance on how we can offer sympathetic help.

Where does the time go? Life whizzes by too fast to blog it!

Here's an update on the organ music played at Killermont Parish Church Bearsden, over the past few weeks:-

• 31 July 2005 : A joyous acclamation by Lani Smith; Lascia ch'io pianga by Handel; Jesu, joy of man's desiring by Bach; and Festal Flourish by Gordon Jacob.
• 7 August 2005: Romanza on The White Rock by Vaughan Williams; The dark island ; Sarabande in D, from the cello suite in D by Bach; and Judex, from Mors et Vita by Gounod.
• 14 August 2005: the minister's birthday, so the music was deliberately upbeat. Coronation march by Meyerbeer; Scherzo for the White Rabbit, by Nigel Ogden; Tuba tune by C. S. Lang.

Prayer points:-

• Pray for people undergoing radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Pray that the side-effects won't be too debilitating. Pray and give thanks for the dedication and skill of medical staff and lab technicians.
• Pray for all the friends and relations affected by the illness of a loved one.
• Pray for school-children returning to their studies after the summer holidays, whether to their old school or to a new one. Pray that God will be with them as they rise to new challenges. Pray, too, for students, and for anyone who got lower - or higher - grades than they expected, for they will have big decisions to take over the next few weeks or months.

ALL AGE WORSHIP ON SUNDAY 21ST AUGUST!

Come and worship at Killermont tomorrow, as we celebrate the start of a new session. The band will be playing - they need you to sing!

After three weeks away, it was good to be back on the organ stool again on Sunday 24th July. Worshippers who attended the 10 am service on 17th July will be relieved to hear that my deputy suffered no lasting effects from her fainting fit. Indeed, she wasn't the only person to be overwhelmed by the heat that day.

I brought a fan to church with me on 24th July (the kind you flap, rather than the kind for whom you write autographs) - but I didn't need it.

Before the service, you heard Handel's Hornpipe in D, from the Water Music. Afterwards, you heard Widor's Toccata in F. (I confess - I played both at a wedding on Friday afternoon, so you benefited from some considerable hours of practice during the week!)

On to a more serious note. I am happy to report that our friends' daughter is home from hospital, gaining weight, and is even "out and about" again. More treatment will follow, and there may still be trying times ahead - but we are all overjoyed at the progress that has been made so far. Truly God is good - give thanks for this wonderful news.

Please continue to pray for those suffering serious illness, for anyone undergoing uncomfortable treatment, for their families and friends, and for the skill of the doctors and nurses who look after them on a daily basis.

Pray, too, for all countries threatened by terrorism in these worrying times. Pray for anyone directly affected by the aggression. Give thanks to all those involved in defending us and bringing to justice those responsible for the atrocities.

Sunday 26th June - a sunny Sunday

Before the service:-

• On the lake ; Heinrich Hofmann
• Arioso ; J S Bach
• Memories of Childhood ; Granados
• Trumpet tune ; Charpentier

And the trumpet tune prompted memories of his own wedding-day, for our minister. Appropriate, since he was preaching about Jesus' changing the water into wine at the wedding feast. And a bride-to-be liked the Charpentier piece so much that it is to be played at her own wedding later this year!

By process of association, the rest of the organ music had to be celebratory. So, the music during the offering was Funiculi, funicula, by Denza. (The words celebrate singing and dancing.) And the outgoing voluntary was Verdi's Drinking Song, from La Traviata.

However, amidst all this frivolity, let's not forget more serious matters. Please continue to pray for members of the congregation who are sick, or who have family members in need of our prayers. We give thanks for operations successfully endured, and pray for continued recovery and an increase in strength. We pray for consultants, surgeons, nurses, and give thanks for their expertise. And we pray for the relatives of those suffering, that they may have continued strength to support their loved ones.

Nothing if not topical - torrential rain outside prompted me to play rainy music inside, on Sunday 19th June :-

• When sunny gets blue
• Raindrop prelude ; Chopin
• Pavane ; Paul Drayton

During the offering, the Choir sang a Caribbean Lord's Prayer.

The outgoing voluntary was The Hornburg, from the Lord of the Rings (by special request).

I've been so SLOW to catch on! I've been searching the web for good prayers - prayers that would say exactly what I wanted them to say. But, I hear you say, why waste time searching?

Quite so. So, I've written my own. Here's An Organist's Prayer:-

Dear Lord,

We thank you for the many blessings that we in the western world enjoy. In particular today, we thank you for the medical profession and for the knowledge that allows them to treat us when we are ill. We thank you too for the constant care that they show us, for their willingness to listen to our complaints and their continuing efforts both in diagnosis and treatment. We thank you for research into surgical procedures and new pharmaceutical products - and we pray that all these blessings might be made available to those less fortunate than ourselves in other parts of the world.

We thank you for taking care of people near and dear to us, and rejoice when we hear of improvements in their condition. At the same time, though, we pray for patience when things aren't going quite so well, and for the strength to keep on going at times when things seem very hard. Help us to remember that all things are in your hands.

When we make music, help us remember that using this gift can in itself be a form of prayer, if it is an expression of gratitude for the many and varied gifts that you give to your people.

And help us, please, to remember that you aren't just there for the bad times, but for the good times as well. If we are in a crisis situation now, help us not to forget to give thanks to you when things are going well, too.

And all these things we pray in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen

The Christian fellowship at Killermont Parish Church of Scotland (Bearsden, Glasgow) were heartened to hear that our brother and sister's daughter came through major surgery "remarkably well" last Tuesday. There's a long way to go, and further treatment to be endured, but let's keep praying for a steady improvement.

Pray for the faith of the Roman officer in Matthew 8 (5-13), and read on just a few more verses - such is the power of healing.

The music played today?

• Before the service: Sarabande, by Arnold Cooke; Berceuse by Ernest Tomlinson, and Nobody knows the trouble I've seen, arranged by Burleigh.
• Offering : Prelude, by C. S. Lang
• Postlude : Toccata in 7, by John Rutter

Members of the Killermont church family in Bearsden, Glasgow, have a burden of prayer for someone seriously ill at the moment.

I've plundered the WorldPrayers.org website again - they're very happy for me to promote their website, so I can quite comfortably quote this prayer for doctors and nurses:-

Lord God, Giver of Life, Source of all healing, who alone can help us grow in wholeness: We thank you for the gift of life and health, and remembering your faithful servants Cosmus and Damian, we ask you to guide and uphold all doctors, surgeons, hospital staffs and all engaged in the ministry of healing together with those they serve, that disease and disunity may everywhere be overcome; through Christ the Divine Healer, who suffered and died, and lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, our God of Salvation, now and always.

Amen.

(Parish prayer - St. Cosmus & St. Damian in the Blean)

Please join me in saying this prayer for medical workers and sick people everywhere, and especially for anyone dear to you.

• I thought I should make the effort to discover who St. Cosmus and St. Damian were, and where the Parish Church of St. Cosmus & St. Damian in the Blean is situated. So, if it helps you to know where the prayer originated, I can tell you that it's in Canterbury, Kent (England).