Advent is a season when we prepare ourselves for the celebration of God breaking into our world through the birth of Jesus. Of course, God breaks into our world every day, when we notice the invitation and consent, as Mary did, to the offering to be a bearer of the holy into our broken world, to continue the work of Jesus.
We do this work in community, because that’s a big part of being a Christian. Not being with others only to reinforce our particular set of beliefs, but to be among others to experience grace, to be opened to new ideas, to learn from others, especially those who are different from us, and to keep our heart and mind engaged with the real world so we can find grace right here in our lives.
We are handing Advent mailing packets out to everyone one that we can think of — but if by any chance, we have missed you and you would like one, please let us know. And if you want a separate packet send to someone else, let us know. We want to be with you in all ways that help you find your particular path toward God.
We want you to be able to be a part of our worshiping community in the safety of your own home. We are a gathered community in heart and spirit and we are grateful you are here with us. Click below for the Virtual Worship Service.
We invite you to download a bulletin so you can sing along with the hymns and share in the prayers. Click below for the bulletin for this service.
This month we will be singing the beautiful “Bless the Lord My Soul”, by Jacques Berthier, which is song #9 in the Taize books.
As before, we will provide a conductor track for you to sing along with according to the instructions which immediately follow.
You will hear an introduction by Mr. Gorman, and you can begin your part on the downbeat. Please sing two verses with the piano and then sing one more verse a capella, following Ms. Turchi from the conducting track. If you wish to receive your part as a separated audio file, please request to Bill Hutchinson. If you have any questions about the procedure or technology, please direct them to Bill Hutchinson. If you have any questions about singing your part, please direct them to Ms. Turchi. Thank you!
What to Do?
In a nutshell, you will record your singing while watching a conductor video and at the same time listening to the base track of the piece through your headphones. When you follow the conductor – after hearing the beep tones – we are sure you’ll be lined up with everyone else and when you plug in your headphones we will be sure we get ONLY your voice on your track!
What You’ll Need
· TWO devices – the easiest will be a laptop computer or tablet so you can easily see the conducting track AND a phone to actually record, but two phones will do
· A pair of headphones, preferably earbuds for appearance, but use whatever you have
· A video-plus-audio recorder: your phone’s standard app will be fine, or similar on tablet or computer
· A quiet room – try to close windows, turn off A/C momentarily, send the dog to the movies
· Dress for best contrast on the video – solid colors with no logos
· A helper to hold the device doing the recording – don’t hesitate to ask us to do that for you if you so desire, we can work out the best location
Instructions
· Have the printed version of the piece in front of you – let us know if you need a printed copy, we’ll be happy to get it to you
· Prepare the device on which you’ll play the conducting track and get ready to start the conductor track
· Have your assistant prepare the video recorder (e.g. simply the camera app on a phone), but don’t start recording yet
o Click play on the YouTube video link embedded below and follow the instructions for allowing the BEEP to be recorded, plug in your headphones and then have your assistant start the recording
o BE SURE to follow the video so you record the BEEP and stay in synchronization
o If you need help, let us know
· Sing your part!
· When the music finishes, remain still in concert pose for about 5 seconds.
· Have your assistant stop the recorder.
· Play back what you’ve recorded; if you aren’t completely happy with it, just repeat these instructions, that’s the beauty of this process!
· When you have a version of the recording you like, upload it with the submission link below; make sure you use the last one, the one you consider the good copy.
Once again it is that time of year when we have friends over for parties and dinners, and just have a wonderful time. But what about those who do not have a chance to go to parties or be among friends during the Christmas Season? As Christmas is quickly approaching us, I would like to take this opportunity to invite those who would like to join Ford and I in making bread to share with our friends in the community during the Christmas Day Dinner. We will be in the kitchen on December 22nd to make 65 loaves of bread that will be shared with those who attend the Christmas Day Dinner, any remaining loaves will be donated to the Episcopal Home for their consumption. I look forward to those who will be helping make these loaves of bread, and to seeing the fine people of our community on Christmas Day for dinner and good fellowship. Those who would like to help make bread can contact me through my email address: billgawors@ymail.com and I will get you on the list.
