Sudbury and Shrewsbury churches make beautiful music together to bring in more members;
Annual Spring Concert sings out to the community
 How do you get non-churchgoers to come inside the walls of a church and feel comfortable? With music, thought Marjorie Ness.
Ness, the music director of the Memorial Congregational Church UCC of Sudbury explained that the Spring Concert, the finale of the church’s four-concert program, has been presented annually since the early 1970’s and features a major work of liturgical music.
Ness and Malcolm Halliday, the music director of the First Congregational Church, UCC, of Shrewsbury, talked one day and thought up the idea that music could be a great medium for social and spiritual mission outreach. Last year the two recruited about sixty people from their own choirs and then invited professional vocal and instrumental soloists, and the full symphonic volunteer community orchestra of about 35 professional, semi-professional and student musicians to perform the Elijah of Felix Mendelssohn at the Sudbury church. It takes about four months of rehearsing. Each group learns the piece independently and then together.
“It is a lot of work and dedication on everyone’s part,” said Ness. “This was an act of love by these people.”
The concert is made very family friendly. A $10 donation is suggested, but there is no charge for children and no one is turned away. The sanctuary is set up so the 120 or so attendees can be up close and personal with the choir. The movable pews are set up as a squared-off 'U' so everyone has a great view of the choir in the loft as well as the orchestra on the floor. Before and after the concert, people are encouraged to talk to the instrumentalists and take a look at the organ.
The event is usually held on a Saturday evening in late April or early May – a date chosen around the local symphony schedules as many of the volunteers perform in other concerts as well. Newspapers are notified and the news is spread word-of-mouth. The crowd increases each year. The concert was also taped for the local cable television station. A Sudbury church moderator who is a videographer filmed the event and brought it to the station.
According to Ness, the local cable television organization is required to dedicate a certain number of hours to non-profit programming so they have welcomed the concert footage. Halliday, who couldn't return this year because of a tight schedule, said he really enjoyed the experience when his group joined forces with the Sudbury choir.
“This is an annual mission project of the Sudbury church and takes place for two reasons,” said Ness. “To have people who do not have a church in which to sing to join us for learning sacred literature, and to offer a venue for inviting friends to our church in a non-threatening environment as a first step for evangelism. We know of one family who joined after attending a concert.”
Said Ness, “The concert is an inspiration for those who attend and feeds their souls as well as spoken words do.”
Share Your Still Speaking Story
 Tell us how God is speaking in and through your church. Have you reached out to the community in unique ways? Initiated a new mission project? Found a new way to minister to those within the congregation? Share your story and help us to spread the good news! Contact Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane, Editor, at cochranem@macucc.org.
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