Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church - Unitarian Universalist

Watch a video of the performance of The Color Purple, by the Adult Choir and featuring Wendy Repass.

Gratitude and excitement fill me as I write this article. With less than two weeks to go, plans for an impromptu benefit concert are rapidly falling into place. When I learned that Louisa Wimberger, one of our former members who happens to be a wonderful folk singer, was returning to town for a week, my first thought was to invite her to sing during our Sunday worship services. But plans had already been made for that Sunday. So the idea of a (mostly) folk concert with many of our talented members and friends came to mind. Moreover, proceeds would benefit the church and the music program. I quickly began contacting folks, who generously volunteered their time and talents.

Louisa will be sharing the concert with Wendy Repass, Scott DeVeaux, Mike Cventanovich, Mike Dunn and Janet Muse, Liz Lindau, Penny Bowles, members from our Adult Choir, and others. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the “Three Duudes” (Bill Gardner, Mike Ludwick, and Michael Manto) will make their first appearance at TJMC! The concert will have already taken place by the time you read this, but due to the brief (and frantic) time-frame in which we are working, please know that we tried our best to spread the word electronically, with flyers, and by word-of-mouth.

Our Adult Choir makes me happy and gives me inspiration. We share a common goal of creating music that will strengthen and intensify our worship together on Sundays. Because we are unified in our purpose, we are a wonderful and supportive community that works well together and brings humor and joy to our work along with an open attitude to new approaches. The upcoming music is exciting and inspiring. As always, new singers are welcome, even if schedules only allow a month of participation. Please contact me if you are interested in giving us a try so I can have music ready for you. And please note that there will be no rehearsal Thursday, March 10.

I thought you might enjoy this humorous quote that was found in a newsletter from a different church. “At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be ‘What Is Hell?’ Come early and listen to our choir practice.”

KaeRenae Mitchell

Director of Music

Now is a wonderful time to come in from the cold and into the warmth of a great community of fun folks—the Adult Choir. We feel fortunate to have seven new singers and two returning singers join the ranks recently. Will you be the tenth new singer to lift your voice in song? We rehearse in the Parlor every Thursday in January beginning at 6:45 PM for greetings and warm-ups. Come, give us a try!

My deep appreciation to Bob Gross and his chamber music group who gave a lovely concert at our church in December. Special thanks to the musicians and to all who helped with this musical celebration.

Bouquets of thanks go to the members of the Adult Choir for their commitment, work and dedication this fall. They have been an inspiration! And thank you to Elizabeth Brightbill and Andrew Gabbert for sharing their music during the Holiday Music Service. How blessed we are.

There is a community gathering in honor of Martin Luther King that will take place Sunday, January 16, at 5 PM at the Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church on Lankford Avenue. Come join in the celebration. Wishing you a year filled with joy, wonder, and peace.

Blessings of peace,

KaeRenae Mitchell

Director of Music

Our Adult Choir is beginning to learn music for the Christmas season and if you would like to join us for this brief time we would welcome you with open arms. One of the selections we are hoping to share is the lovely “Ave Maria” from Vespers by Rachmaninoff.

There are two changes in our rehearsal schedule in November. On Thursday, November 4, we will rehearse at a later time from 7:30–9 PM. And we are rehearsing Tuesday, November 23, during our regular time, 6:45–8:30 PM instead of rehearsing on Thanksgiving. Please check the bulletin board for updates on these changes. And feel free to contact me if you have any questions. We hope you can sing with us!

Within our Adult Choir we have joys and sorrows to share. We are excited that five new choir members and two returning members have joined us this fall! They have brought us great joy! We are sad that several members have moved and we miss them immensely. We wish Megan England Ward, Chris Garson, and Andrew Feathers all the best in their new adventures. It is with deep sadness that we learned Kim Moreno will be moving to California permanently. We will miss Kim greatly and his bright smile, upbeat humor, and his marvelous musical talents will remain in our hearts. We look forward to his occasional visits to Virginia!

Lastly, if you are new to our church community, please let me know if you have musical gifts you would like to share. Music supports and deepens our worship together and we would like to have you join us. Blessings of peace,

KaeRenae Mitchell

Director of Music

krmitchell@embarqmail.com

May our music deepen our worship together and nurture us so that we may reach out to others with compassion and strength. We celebrate music and its ability to restore the human spirit, to open our heart connections and to deepen our community.

Our Adult Choir is off and running, or rather singing and we would love to have you join us in our music ministry. Choir rehearsals are often filled with jokes and laughter as we work and play hard together. Would you like to try singing with us? We rehearse every Thursday from 6:45 PM until 8:30 PM and sing during the Sunday morning worship services twice a month. Come, join us!

If you are new to the church or have recently decided you would like to share your musical gifts, please let me know. We are always looking for instrumentalists and soloists to enhance our worship.

Bouquets of thanks go to Wendy Repass for her musical sharings and to Roz Westerman for helping with the choral library. We very much appreciate you!

Blessings of peace,

KaeRenae Mitchell,

Director of Music