Monday, October 18, 2021
Six Days of Homecoming—Day One
Parish Choir Perspectives
This is the first installment in a six-part series around the theme of Homecoming. While our sanctuary has been open for our Rite I congregants since early June, our Rite II service has continued to be held in the idyllic gardens of the Goodwin Mansion on the grounds of Strawbery Banke through these early weeks of autumn. It is with deep gratitude, eager anticipation, fervid preparation and prayer, and a whole lot of hard work that we enter this week of Homecoming. We acknowledge that, although not all who worshipped with us previously for Rite II will be returning to our beautiful Church On The Hill, we hope that through the voices of these individuals and teams we amplify this week, we can all feel the joy in returning our Rite II service to the sanctuary, the joy in Coming Home.
On March 15, 2020, our beloved Parish Choir performed in the sanctuary for the final time prior to the Covid-19 lockdown. It was the liturgical season of Lent, and we were blessed with the beauty and simplicity of Kevin Siegfried’s treatment of the Shaker hymn “Lay Me Low.” Since then, our Director of Music, Jennifer McPherson, has worked tirelessly to continue to cultivate community and maintain connections and traditions within our choir. Here are a few perspectives from some of our choir members as they reflect on this time of pandemic, and anticipate the choir’s triumphant return to making music in the sanctuary.
Part I: Pandemic flexibility, humility gained, community missed
“In the early days of the pandemic lockdown, Jen McPherson asked members of the St. John’s choir to submit voice recordings of our SATB parts for a couple of anthems. I dreaded the thought of it, but I gave it a try. My test listener (our daughter Abigail) groaned softly when she listened to the clip of my part for the first anthem I attempted. I could not bring myself to submit my clip to Jen, despite her insistence that my mistakes would be absorbed seamlessly into the sound of the whole. A likely story, I thought.
“In the end, I deleted my flat recording. However, I relearned the lesson that I cannot sing alone. I need other voices to hold me up and help me stay on key. My heart ached for missing the sense of community of our choir during that lonely time. I am grateful to be a part of a group that lets me fall flat and lifts me up with their voices and love. Choir is a place where I can make mistakes and always feel welcome. How great is that? Masks or not, it is wonderful to be singing together again.”
— Chris Sieve, current member of the Alto Section, former Search Committee chairperson, former Senior Warden
Part II: The examination of a life lived amid the progress of St. John’s
“When I think about returning to the physical space of St. John’s next Sunday after having been away since March of 2020, I am given pause. I find myself reflecting on all of the time my family and I have spent in the church and Thaxter Hall since the late 1990’s and how much this place has meant to us.
“Each phase of my life has brought a different phase for me at St. John’s. When my children were very small, and I found it difficult to be gone in the evenings, I would bake for Common Table and teach their Sunday School classes. When they got a little older, and I was learning the important lesson that a parent has to make time for herself, I joined the choir. Around the time they were in upper elementary and middle school, Rob asked me to join the Vestry. My boys were in the thick of the youth programming here, particularly the music. We spent a lot of time here. When they reached high school, the Choir School was coming into existence, and I was asked to be on that board. The boys were pretty independent at that point, so I figured one more night out a month would be doable. I have a very helpful partner, and we made it work. However, in the fall of 2019, we came to the decision that we were far too busy. We would let some commitments go. For me, that meant Vestry and for my husband, Patrick, that meant not seeking re-election to the Portsmouth School Board.
“In March of 2020, I was wrapping up my time on the Vestry, transitioning the Clerk role over to the very capable hands of Karen Barsanti. Patrick was just getting used to being home on Tuesday nights after 9 years on the Portsmouth School Board. We were ready to slow down a little. What’s the phrase — “Be careful what you wish for?” Who would have guessed that our life wouldn't just slow down but that many aspects would grind to a halt? For example, going into the church building!
“As we prepare for our church ‘Homecoming,’ I am, again, in a new phase of life. When the pandemic started, our house was very full. We had four ‘adults’ living under one roof - two parents working full time, one almost 18-year-old son finishing high school and one 21 year old trying to figure out what was next for him. Now, 18 months later, we’re empty nesters.
“In gratitude for the years of memories and the promise of what the future holds, I am so excited to return to the hill on October 24 and spend time with our church family.”
— Marian Ellis, current member of the Soprano Section, current Choir School board member, former Clerk of the Vestry
Part III: Looking back, looking forward
“Tim and I look forward to being back in our beloved St. John's on Homecoming Sunday, October 24. We were grateful to participate in the ‘virtual’ choir, but we so missed the peace and beauty of this place. Beyond the acoustics and resonance of the sanctuary, there is an essence about St. John's that touches the soul and renews the spirit.
“Although we have been physically distanced from one another for such a long time, the spirit and love of St. John's has been a constant beacon of light and hope this past year and a half. I have thought so many times about Kevin Siegfried's ‘Lay Me Low,’ the last anthem the choir performed together before the Covid-19 shutdown. The incredible power of the words and music have haunted me for months:
‘Lay me low. Where the Lord can find me, Where the Lord can own me, Where the Lord can bless me.’
“Truly, whether together or apart, we have felt safe and secure in the love of our St. John's family. We give thanks for this blessing and can't wait to lift our voices in celebration at St. John’s.”
— Liz-Anne Platt, current member of the Soprano Section