Music: Worship through Praise and Music

Sing praise to the Lord!
Ps. 68:32

We invite you to join us as we worship the Living God through Jesus Christ in services led by our beautiful pipe organ, piano, and Chancel Choir. We praise Him using the great hymns of the church, contemporary Scripture choruses, Scripture readings and sermon, and the classic creeds. The Lord's Supper is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month.

Annual Messiah Sing-Along

The 31st Annual Messiah Sing-Along will be held Sunday, November 30, 2008, at 3 PM, directed by Dr. Julie Carter. Come sing Handel's inspirational and joyful music accompanied by a professional orchestra. Solos are sung by members of the audience and singers are asked to sit in soprano, alto, tenor, and bass sections. Last year over 800 people participated in this exciting event! If you don't sing, come anyway and be ministered to by the glorious music!

Music will be available for sale in the Narthex by Gottschalk Music Center . Participants are asked to bring canned goods for the needy. A delicious Soup and Bread Supper will follow in the Fellowship Hall, hosted by the Worship Ministry Team. All are invited. There is no charge to attend the Messiah Sing-Along.

Start your Christmas/Advent Season off joyfully -- with the Messiah Sing-Along!

Worship
Congregational Choir
Choirs At FPC
Children's and Youth Music
Brass and Bell Ensembles
Worship Team
The Organ at FPC

Worship

"Sing Praise to God!"
At FPC we believe that all worship is practice for heaven. The scriptures tell us that every believer in Christ will spend eternity praising God! It is in that spirit that we invite you to worship with us in song, cultivating a lifestyle of worship that will last forever.

Congregational Choir

Consisting of nearly 800 worshipers every weekend, the Congregational Choir is made up of everyone who participates in worship. Following the Apostle Paul's encouragement to "continually praise the lord with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs," we join together for an inclusive intergenerational and Christ-centered hour of worship at each of our services. To participate, please visit our church Sunday mornings at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m.

Dr. Julie L. Carter, Coordinator of Worship and Music, (559) 485-6460, staff@fpcfresno.org

Connie Ellenberger, Organist

Choirs At FPC

Chancel Choir
This 35-voice ensemble provides worship leadership for all our Heritage services throughout the year as well as for several holiday services. Under the leadership of Dr. Julie Carter, FPC's Coordinator of Worship and Music, the Chancel Choir continues to bring an extraordinary variety of music to our worship services.

Chancel Choir Begins September 10, 2008 (rehearsals will return to Sunday mornings on Sept. 14)

The Chancel Choir leads worship first service from September through June. We are in need of new singers from high school age through adults of all ages. Rehearsals are during the 9:40 hour on Sunday mornings. "Make Choir a "way of life" this fall! Rejoice in the Lord and sing to Him a new song (in Choir)! For details, contact Dr. Julie Carter at 485-6460.

The Chancel Choir Retreat: Our retreat will be Saturday, September 27 from 9am-3pm. We will have guests give vocal workshops and also work on fall and Christmas music. Please mark your calendars. Contact Julie with any questions at 485-6460.

Children's Music
Approximately 55 students are enrolled in this dynamic program of music. Rehearsals incorporate vocal training, music theory, sight singing, ear training, as well as the use of the hymnals to learn the great hymns of our faith. The choirs sing several times a year in our worship services.

We offer several choirs for students from kindergarten through 6th grade. These choirs rehearse weekly on Sunday mornings. In addition to teaching musical skills, participation in choir reinforces the student's growing Christian faith, already introduced in Sunday school and at home.

We believe that choir is a real and solid event for the Children here at FPC. They learn the basics of music, correct vocal production and, most importantly, how to minister to our church family through the songs that they sing. We believe that our singers are not just the church of the future, but are the church of the now. Our calling, through the medium of music, is to teach biblical truths in a way that builds commitment, confidence and spiritual strength in the hearts and lives of our singers. We wish to give them an understanding of the importance of their participation in worship within our church. Joining education in any way recognizes that the most influential power on a student' ability to learn is his/her parents. An interested parent is the key factor in a student's development-both musically and spiritually.

Kids Praise Singers
Kid's Praise rehearses Sunday mornings between 11:00 am and 12:00 pm. We offer children in grades K-2 the chance to learn the basics of rhythm, vocal production, and creative movement. The choir participates in two concerts per year, and occasionally sings during Sunday morning worship services. No prior music experience is necessary. For more information, contact Krista Moore at (559) 905-1103, or at staff@fpcfresno.org.

Full Court Pres

Full Court Pres is a children's choir for children from third through sixth grades. We meet on Sunday mornings from 11:00 a.m. until 12 noon. Our goal is to worship God by singing music. We emphasize working as a group, proper tone production, and some basic music and rhythm skills. Full Court Pres sings in church four times a year, and also performs occasionally at local nursing homes. Please contact Daphne Saul (252-4064) for more information.

Brass and Bell Ensembles

Joyful Ringers
The Joyful Ringers shares Christ through music at First Presbyterian Church and in community events. We learn bell ringing techniques and music fundamentals. Our rehearsals are Wednesdays, from 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm in the Patio Room. For more information call Carol Dice at (559) 226-5174.

Brass Ensemble
The Brass Ensemble at First Presbyterian Church consists of interested trumpet, French horn, trombone, baritone, euphonium, and tuba players. The players in the ensemble come from the church membership, as well as from the local musical community. The regular rehearsal time is from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. each Sunday morning.

The repertoire focuses on the standard brass literature from the Renaissance Period through the contemporary sacred music, including spirituals, and even some gospel influenced jazz pieces, set for brass ensemble.

The ensemble performs five or six times each semester, performing as special music during worship services, as accompaniment to the Chancel choir on special selections, and as part of the annual Easter and Christmas musical presentations. The brass also play on the annual Music Appreciation Concert in the spring. While the primary focus is on the worship services at the Church, they have also performed at other venues, most recently playing Christmas music at the Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art.

We welcome any interested brass players to join us. Please email Bill Barbour at staff@fpcfresno.org.

Worship Team
The worship teams lead the congregation at the 11:00 service. Our worship leaders, instrumentalists, vocalists, and sound technicians all share a common vision: to enable and encourage the whole congregation in worship, supporting our pastors as they preach and teach. In facilitating worship we are called to lead with musical excellence, always remembering that God is our “audience of one.” Teams and technicians are coordinated by Lana Roberts, Associate Pastor.

The Organ at FPC

Psalm 150 speaks of a variety of instruments used in King David's time to lead worship. This has been the role of the pipe organ and the organist in the church for hundreds of years. Today's pipe organ, sometimes called an orchestra, is able to uniquely provide the appropriate sounds and support for the various musical needs of the church: worship, communion, weddings, memorial services, and more.

As the times and needs of the church have changed over the years, the organ, with its versatility, has been able to adapt and remain a relevant instrument for creatively leading worship.

FPC's pipe organ, a Rodgers Trillium Masterpiece 968 combination pipe and digital organ, is one of Fresno's largest pipe organs with 27 ranks of pipes, and is one of the tools FPC considers essential in leading worship Sunday mornings. Its wonderful majestic sounds support the congregation as they enthusiastically sing their praises to God, and its softer, lusher sounds lead the congregation in meditatively expressing their love and gratitude to their Lord. It also accompanies the choir, soloists, and other instrumentalists as they provide their musical contributions to FPC's worship services. The music that emanates from the organ prior to and in conclusion of any particular worship service contributes to the theme and focus of that service.