Any Methodists out there?

[Hannathy]

At our Methodist church we have a very good and large and special organ supposedly one of only a handful in the country built this way or something so it is used about 90% of the time. Our lead organist is very good she has her docorate in music and teaches organ classes and seminars all over the country. However when the childrens and teen choirs sing their accompanist uses the Piano and when we have a sub they will occasionally use the piano. Saturday services are in the Chapel so she uses the piano then. I like the organ, it feels more worshipful to me and fills the sanctuary with sound. Our church is large and pretty well spread out over the ages. The reason the PPR committee may be trying to make the older members happy is they tend to have generous checkbooks! If the Pastor feels strongly about it he should go back to the group and express his views-he is a member of this committee and usually has great influence. If not since they are paying you to do a job do what they want or quit it really is their choice not yours.

 

[Towncrier]

Another United Methodist chiming in. My dad is retired UM preacher. I avoid our church's contemporary service (mostly because I'm an old fogey). Our traditional service usually uses the organ for hymns and the only time that we use the piano is for the offertory or for accompanying the various choirs and chorales. I hadn't really thought about it until you mentioned it.

 

[Queen Quinnella]

Methodist here too. I am also a Methodist Church Secretary
We use the organ for all our music as well. We have traditional service. And that's just fine with me.

 

[brerrabbit]

We are Methodists and I sing in our church choir. We use the organ for most hymns but we in the choir keep the rythm right so the songs don't slow down. We have three services and the middle one is Contemporary Worship with the first being casual and the last being more traditional. However lately we have changed the style of the traditional service and while the choir still sings we are jazzing it up a little and adding more music. We had a 18 piece orchestra last week and plan on more music like that in the furure. We will be singing a slightly African song this weekend for World Communion week. All of our choir pieces use the piano for accompaniment.

 

[englishteacha]

I'm congregationalist, but can I chime in? Our organist plays all the hymns at a brisk pace (which I like), and I always feel like we're singing a dirge when I attend other churches. Some people think 4/4 time means 4 beats a minute!! Some people make the most upbeat hymns seem so dreary because they do tend to sing/play them so slowly. Personally, I prefer the piano. It just seems happier to me. Can you play the songs on the organ a tad faster than written? Get the choir (if there is one) to practice the hymns at a faster speed with you, and the congregation will follow them.

 

[frndofpooh]

Another Methodist here. I was born and raised Methodist, and our family regularly attends services. I hate the organ music - I just find it depressing and maudlin. Where else, aside from a funeral home, are you going to have music accompanied by an organ? A piano or guitar is so much more uplifting IMHO. I think that eliminating the organ from the overall sound serves to make the music more relevant to our everyday lives - and isn't that the idea? We do not have a contemporary service option but I wish we would if the music would be more modern.

When I was a young adult, I had a brief foray into Unitarianism. It did not stick, but I remember loving the music so much! There was not an organ to be found, all of the music was either piano, guitar, flute or clarinet accompanied. I always found the music so inspiring!

 

[juligrl]

I am church organist/pianist for 2 methodist churches - one for 15 years and the other for 3 years. Although I can play the organ, the piano is my passion.I have been ordered by the second church PPR committee to play the organ all of the time. the pastor and I are not happy because the organ tends to lend people to sing slooowwwlllyyy. 75%of the members are over 65. Does your church use the organ all of the time, how old are the members, what kids of songs do you sing and are you haapy with the music?

I know exactly what you mean! Fortunately, in my Methodist church, we have been very lucky to have organists who will actually say "keep up with me" if the congregation is lagging. Our congregation is mostly older too, but I guess after 25+ years of keeping up, we've learned. Lately we've been singing a lot of the more traditional hymns, but in the past we did a lot of the more contemporary stuff - depends on the minister's preferences.

Like you, our current organist is a pianist at heart. She prefers the piano, but plays both well. Our ancient pipe organ is desperately in need of some TLC, so there are some hymns that work better on the piano. We use organ probably a good 90% of the time. It really depends on the "mood" of the organ though on any given day as to how well it's playing that determines which gets used when. And yes, our organists have started on the organ and ended up switching to the piano if the organ is having a bad day.

 

[HamTown]

If the pastor wants piano, then he should go to the PPR and tell them. (This from a Methodist pastor's wife who knows they partially control job security).

Our church has 3 services: 8:30 piano only, 11:00 organ for hymns and piano for anthems, 5:30 praise band (drums, guitars, tamborines).

I love the organ, grew up with a pipe organ and occasional strings, but there are some hymns in the new hymnal that are horrible on the organ (Lord, You have come to the Lakeshore comes to mind). I personally think even Amazing Grace sounds better on the piano. But there are others that are better on the organ (Heralds of Christ, Lift High the Cross). Tell them you'd like to choose based on the hymn selections and anthems. Good luck! And remember, 1/3 of the PPR will rotate off in January! Maybe you'll have some piano lovers in the new bunch.

 

[MickeysMommy]

I'm Methodist and the more contemporary service with the band and group of singers is the early service with the more "traditional" service being at 11am. We go to the 11am one with the organist. Our organist has been with our church for over 40 years and he plays FAST! Sometime so fast you can't keep up with him It's a 3-tiered organ with foot pedals and an expansive pipe section and he really can play that thing!