55 Years of Music Ministry

When I started working on staff at Saint Andrew Parish, one of my first assignments was to manage our social media. I employed some simple strategies and get more involvement on our online community. I would take great pleasure in seeing how the message of this community would double and triple its reach. A typical post would have 150 impressions, so I was always excited when I could get that to 1,500 or 2,000 impressions. It takes work to make social media function effectively.

As part of the tactics I’ve employed, I would engage our online community in a weekly Throwback-Thursday post. Out of sheer happenstance, I put a photo from the 1980s with our guitar group on it. Wow. Our media reach blew up. The last I saw it, the post had over 20,000 impressions on it. It remains our most viewed post of all time.

I knew then as I know now that parishes are remarkable reflections of God’s grace-filled effervescence. Parishes grow and change and live. They are not the summation of a pastor or a staff person, although they can have a tremendous impact. A parish is the people and their stories and their gifts and the journey that they make together.

I also knew then as I know now that the most popular social media post on our page was an indicator of something more than just popularity. The guitar group that has regularly led our worship at Saint Andrew for 55 years has touched thousands of lives with the gift of their music. They gave balm to the woundedness of the world through the soft touch of a guitar’s strings. They elevated joy by meeting the moment with melody. They were Christ to others through simplicity and integrity. A parish may have a lot of moving parts but close to the heart of Saint Andrew for decades was the guitar group.

The sole remaining members of that ministry are Margaret Jones and Eileen Appelhans who have announced that they are retiring from music ministry this month. Their last Sunday Mass will Sunday, December 18 and their last Mass will be Christmas Eve at 5:00pm.

At this point in writing, I shudder just a bit. Their decision is difficult for me to grasp and difficult for me accept. I pride myself in finding words that sketch out the edges of divinity and sacred story, but I don’t even know what words would work to fill this moment. Margaret and Eileen have been such a bedrock to Sunday morning at Saint Andrew that their presence was just assumed. Hopefully that never indicated a lack of gratitude or appreciation for their witness of sharing their gifts and caring for the spiritual needs of others is a model for us all. As I marvel at the way they have enriched this community, my awe is lifted again by their humility.

I offered them as much space or as many words as they would like to put in the bulletin, but they wrote me back and asked to share these few words –

Margaret and I would like to say for the past 55 years we have had the privilege and honor of leading you in song at Masses and other Special Liturgies. Today will be our last scheduled Sunday. We want to Thank you for supporting us all these years and joining your voices with us.  Remember when you sing you pray twice. God Bless You. Until we meet again.

For the incredible gift of everyone in the guitar group, we are immensely grateful. You have shared your very self with all of us and we give thanks. We hope to echo the music which you have lovingly shared with us. Thank you. And may God continue to bless you in all you do and all you are.