February 4th was FCC Bristol’s 30th Annual Groundhog Day Celebration. Masterfully conducted by our own Maestro, H. Bennett Burnham, 20 musicians led the congregation in praising the Lord with a joyful song. Strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion — accompanied by Director of Music Nikita Sabinski — were played by members and friends of the congregation, ranging in age from at least aged 9 to some in their 80s.
The words of Psalm 92 were proclaimed: “O LORD . . . at the works of your hands I sing for joy” and the musicians raised their instruments. And the gathered worshipers raised their voices. And the old, rousing favorites rang out through the sanctuary: ”Lord, I Want to Be a Christian,” “Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken,” “Holy, Holy, Holy,” “My Faith Looks Up to Thee,” “America the Beautiful,” “Joyful, Joyful,” culminating in a hand-clapping rendition of “O When the Saints Go Marching In.”
Worship closed with the Prayer of Dedication which challenged us all: ”Help us to see and appreciate the diversity, beauty and transformative powers of all music and the arts as they lift our spirits and send us on our way rejoicing.”