PORT HOPE – St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Port Hope is offering a unique musical experience starting on July 13 that organizers are calling a leap of faith.
It is taking a new approach to Vacation Bible School by offering a free music camp for kids six to 15 years old focusing on singing, crafts, and games.
But rather than an emphasis on religious teachings, often associated with summer church camps, organizers say it will be done in a softer manner through spiritual music of all different kinds.
“There will be a religious element, but it will be done differently. Usually, this is done through Bible stories, whereas we hope to make it more about all the different kinds of music and give the kids a chance to have lots of fun, as well,” said church choir director Audrey Mead.
While she is the music director for the week-long camp, it is her 21-year-old daughter, Elsa Mead, who is the director.
“I went to choir camp for years,” Elsa said. “It was a crazy experience. I would like other kids to experience what I did but closer to home.”
The camp she refers to is the Toronto Diocesan Choir School for Girls, a two-week sleepover school for young women. The prestigious school is a mecca supported by the Anglican Church for those with serious interest in religious choral music. Elsa attended it for 12 years.
“There are many camps where you can go to be outdoors or at a community centre,” she said. “But how many times can you go to a music camp in a church? We hope to create a completely different experience.”
To begin, the camp is entirely free of charge. Each day will involve lots of singing. But there will also be crafts involving the creation of musical instruments, activities and then, more singing. Two special guests will also be involved. Michael Cumberland, a musician, will come for a day to focus on rhythm instruments and songs. And, local author and musician Ted Staunton will spend a day telling stories and making music, Audrey said.
The week will end off with a concert and barbecue on the Friday.
The church is backing the entire enterprise as part of its community outreach. It also has an active youth choir and other singing groups it supports throughout out the year, Audrey said. This is a natural extension of those programs, she said.
The camp already has 20 children registered, but there is space for 30, she said.
She acknowledges the program is not as highly focused on religious teaching, similar to program run in Sunday schools. But, by bringing together these children to experience the joy of music and sharing songs, some of which will be spiritual, a religious message will indirectly touch the young people.
Rev. Dr. Doug Brown, who has joined forces with John Saynor to organize the first bereavement service at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Port Hope, says Christmas is the right time to hold on to hope. CECILIA NASMITH Northumberland Today
PORT HOPE – The loss of a loved one seems to hit especially hard when it seems all the world is celebrating the joy of Christmas.
Rev. Dr. Doug Brown invites people facing this struggle to find comfort at the O Holy Night bereavement service on Dec. 2 at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Port Hope.
“It will be a night of reflection and readings and music to both celebrate Christmas and honour those who have passed, and to equip individuals and families to help them face the holidays — to know that they are not alone, and there are resources at hand,” Brown said this week.
The service was developed with John Saynor, who is very skilled in this area as a retired Anglican priest, a bereavement counsellor and a funeral director. The message he will deliver has to do with facing the holidays together.
“He is doing a similar type of service the week following at MacCoubrey’s — John and I worked on this service many times when I was at St. Andrew’s,” Brown said of his previous placement in Cobourg.
The St. Paul’s teen choir will be providing the music, along with a number of special pieces by the hand-chime choir.
Traditional carols and traditional readings in the beautifully decorated sanctuary will carry an added message of the true meaning of this holiday.
“If people look beyond the decorations of Christmas into the deeper meaning of the symbols of the season, there’s a great renewing power, strengthening power, hope-giving power that has been there within the depths of the Christmas tradition — sometimes it gets lost in the commercialism of the season,” Brown said.
“But if people would look again at the Christmas message with fresh eyes, there’s a living hope that can sustain them through all situations.”
The 7 p.m. service at St. Paul’s (which is located at 131 Walton St.) will run just under an hour, and everyone is invited to stay afterwards for refreshments and fellowship.
St. Paul’s celebrated the 100th anniversary of the church’s Casavant organ in November with a musical recital that drew over 250 spectators. The present organist was joined by four former organists in performing vocal and instrumental pieces, including one concerto that was accompanied by a string quartet, horns and a harpsichord. The event also marked the qualification of the organ as a heritage instrument with a class A citation from the Royal Canadian College of Organists, making it one of only 15 such instruments in Canada. See original article.
