A Presbyterian minister told me—back in the early 80’s—that the Presbyterian Church is not known for its music. Being both true and not true, the statement stuck with me.
Not true: I’ve found a lot of people in the Presbyterian community who make music: interesting, skilled, moving, engaging. I’m not claiming that all music performed or sung across Canada on any given Sunday (or at other times people gather in Knox Church, Anywhere, Canada) will be wonderful. Some moves me; some … well, it clearly moves other people. But it’s there and plays many roles in our common life.
True: the PCC is not known for its music. There’s the catch. We don’t spend a lot of time and energy discovering and celebrating our music. We spend even less promoting it, teaching it and making space for it in our worship. It’s easier to import it. Less expensive, too. Okay, I can’t support that with research, but it’s at least true that we could devote more time, imagination, energy and money encouraging musicians of all kinds in our communities—the way we do hockey or soccer, for example. No offense meant to the spiritual heirs of Rocket Richard or Wayne Gretzky.
This site is about church music, and also music that stirs the spirit, like the angel that stirred the water in the pool of Bethsaida. It won’t only be “music by and for Presbyterians.” I hope you’re jazzed, intrigued, excited, stimulated by how much sacred music, in many styles and forms, enables and underscores the worship of many different kinds of people. I hope it can become a place to share the music you love, particularly music that energizes our faith community. We want to let people know about who’s doing what, how, when, and why. Some of it will feature new music. Some of it will be a new look at older work.
Consider yourself invited.
