Wing and a Prayer – 2009 Report
“The Lord is present in His Sanctuary, Let us praise the Lord! The Lord is present in His People gathered here, Let us praise the Lord.”
As Wing and a Prayer enters its fourth year, we can point to the words above, from one of the songs we sing and say… THANK YOU JESUS!! The Lord is present in His people here and we are singing. We are receiving more and more positive feedback from both the congregation and worship leaders, and we are hearing the congregation engage in the music more and more each time we sing. Amen to that.
We have again met challenges head on, and are again faced with challenges for the coming year. Our keyboardist, Jane Henry, has moved to Georgia, so we are without a key musician again, and we wished farewell to Linda Flaherty, our consummate go to for harmony, as she retires and is off to see the world. We are grateful to Donna Hooker-Topping for agreeing to record for us on an as needed basis. We were able to plan ahead with Jane leaving, so have a bank of songs available for the time being, but will need to tap into Donna and maybe Julie Allport for future music.
But when change comes, it always has a positive side too. We welcome Karen (Sweeney) Berdoulay of Sundae Sunday fame, and also Dennis Miller and his granddaughter Angel. Karen brings her fair melodic voice, fiddle and guitar, Dennis a fine resonate sound, and Angel, her enthusiasm is infectious.
We changed the day of practice to the 2nd and 4th Monday and practice from 7:00 – 8:15. I am able to make practice CD’s now, so that is helpful as a practice tool. We welcome anyone who would like to learn the songs to come to practice, whether you sing as a worship leader, or blend in the congregation.
An additional challenge and change is the need for more space and a better sound system. I have put out some feelers in regards to removing a pew in order to allow for chairs and music stands to be better placed and we are working on some possible alternate arrangements. An upgrade to the sound system, including microphones, amps and speakers is something for future consideration.
A special thanks to the following people who contribute so much of themselves, their time, talents and love to enhance our group and our worship experience:
Larry Cole – he not only plays trumpet superbly, but he keeps me on track with timing, and adds wonderful variety and improvisation
Sharon Gould – who jumps in with the bass on a moment’s notice
Mary Clark – Soprano extraordinaire, teacher and sounding board for my attempt at playing
David Marshall – keeps us loose and teaches us a lot about Gospel and Jazz
Jeanne Cass & Michelle Jacobson – the dynamic duo keep us from taking ourselves too seriously
Lisa McShane – sings from her heart, and you can hear it
John Mroz – steadfast and serious with a strong clear voice
Liz Mroz – says she can’t sing, but we all know better. She always finds the joy in the music and shares that better than anyone I know
Bev Dare – her faithfulness and joy in the Lord are so forthcoming when she sings
Thank you all, and thank you to the congregation for your support and participation.
Faithfully submitted,
Beth Tickle
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