Travelling with the Ontario Presbyterian Chorus is like reading the Psalms, we sing God’s praises in spreading the gospel through music. It is an experience that creates fellowship, friendship and the opportunity to reach out and minister to others. I find that music often distracts the mind of whatever problems that are troubling the heart. It has a way of creating a sense of peace, hope and inspiration.
The choir has just returned from a wonderful twelve day journey through the Maritime Provinces (June 4-15). As always there were several highlights especially singing in the various congregations where we really appreciated the warm reception we received in each one. We also enjoyed visiting the many tourists sites.
One highlight was having communion at the old Loch Broom church in Nova Scotia, presided by the Rev. Bob and Rev. Priscilla Anderson. This was a very moving experience for all of us as our Director expressed that he has been wishing for us to share communion together as a choir. We had the opportunity to do so in this replica of the original log church, built in 1973 as a reminder of the formation of Presbyterianism in the Pictou County region. In 1767 a group of six families immigrated to Pictou on the brig “Betsy”. Then in 1773, after a 77-day voyage the “Hector” arrived with the first Scottish settlers (36 families and 30 single men), nearly all Presbyterian. The first minister was the Rev. James Drummond McGregor who arrived as a missionary from Portmore, Scotland in 1786. He brought with him three men who constituted the first Kirk Session.
Psalm 98 and Psalm 150 are two of the pieces that we sing in the chorus. Psalm 98 can be found in an old Scottish Psalter dating back to the 1700s or before that. Singing the Psalms has a particular meaning to the Presbyterian Churches in Nova Scotia, especially within Pictou County on account of the history of Presbyterianism and Scottish settlers in the 1700s. At First Presbyterian Church in New Glasgow we saw a copy of an original song book entitled “Collections of Sacred Vocal Music” dated 1803. The music for Psalm 98 would have been included in this book.
A second highlight was before we left on our trip I received an email from the recreation director of Alderwood seniors home in Baddeck. We accepted to come and sing an impromptu concert to the seniors, which was held at Knox Presbyterian Church. Approximately 17 seniors were transported to the church and one of these women was wheeled in on a stretcher who was 101. To see the joy in her face and that of the others as we sang was very meaningful and very moving. This concert was also open to the congregation and community.
Another highlight was on June 14 as we participated in the worship at Wolfville Baptist Church in the morning, and the evening at King’s Presbyterian Church in New Minas. The connection we have with these two churches is that in1997 the choir sang at Wolfville Baptist Church to raise funds to build a Presbyterian Church in New Minas. At that time, the choir gave a significant donation towards this fund. This year we had the pleasure of singing at King’s Presbyterian Church in New Minas Sunday evening where the Rev Tim Archibald has been minister for approximately 20 years. This was a very special time for some of us who were in the choir in 1997.
Other churches we sang in included: Zion Presbyterian Church, Charlottetown; Central Queen’s United in Hunter River, PEI; St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Sydney Mines, NS; St. Andrew’s United Church, Stewiacke, NS. At St. Andrew’s Stewiacke, there was a memorial on the wall of a Presbyterian minister Rev. William James MacKenzie who was the first Presbyterian missionary to Korea around 1894-1895.
Each concert featured a “patriotic moment” in which we sought to express thanks for the sacrifices of men and women who have historically stood on guard for our country and its values and come to aid the oppressed beyond our shores. To drive home the point, one of our members, Ralph Garbe, who was born in Germany in 1938 of a Jewish mother, expressed thanks to all those who were part of the Allied victory over Hitler which ultimately saved his life and the life of his family. After our concert at King’s Presbyterian Church, New Minas, a member of the congregation, now 99 years old, asked to speak with Ralph. The gentleman revealed that he had been part of the Dutch Underground which aided Jews during WWII. It was a poignant meeting for both.
To “stand on guard” for our country, a moment of silent prayer was observed, followed by our National Anthem which included the verse:
Ruler supreme, who hearest humble prayer,
Hold our dominion within thy loving care;
Help us to find O God, in thee, a lasting, rich reward,
As waiting for the Better Day,
We ever stand on guard.
God keep our land glorious and free
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee,
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.
Our motto is that we are a choir with a message, a mission and a vision for a lost and needy world. As we traveled, our message of God’s love and peace was spread through our ministry of music. Our mission was to provide for the needs of the congregations we sang in. Our vision was exploring God’s creation
