At its best, music enriches our worship, uplifts our souls and brings us closer to God. It can also enable us to reach out.
In June, two congregations in the diocese – Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge, and Christ Church in Teaneck - did just that, each using music to connect with the wider community in new ways.
Mass on the Grass… With Brass
When Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge began to plan an outdoor summer worship service for a Sunday morning in June, one challenge loomed: with the lack of organ accompaniment, how to get the choir involved?
The answer came via an enterprising piece of wordsmithing at a staff meeting.
“We hold a ‘Last Chance Mass… On the Grass’ every week,” noted the rector, the Rev. Diana Wilcox, referring to Christ Church’s Sunday-evening service during the summer. “One of the staff said, ‘Why don’t we make this ‘Mass on the Grass… With Brass?’”
With that the theme was set. On June 14, with assistance from a brass ensemble assembled and led by Erick Storckman, Christ Church held its first Mass on the Grass… With Brass service, followed by a parish picnic, on the glen across the street from the church.
The event garnered plenty of attention in town.
“The community of Glen Ridge really loved us being out there and doing it,” said Wilcox. “It’s an area with a lot of foot traffic; there is a creek and a waterfall, and it’s a place that people go to walk their dogs. People were walking by, wanting to know what was going on.
“One woman saw us setting up and asked what we were doing,“ she said. “Later, during the Gospel reading, I looked up and saw her sitting there on the grass with her daughter. There were others like that, too – people who had been walking through the park and who stayed for the service.”
For Wilcox and her congregation, Mass in the Grass… With Brass allowed them to bring Christ’s message out beyond the four walls of the church building.
“It’s a great way to be out in the community. People take notice,” she said. “Any chance you get to worship outside in the community – to bring our experience outside – is exciting. This is what we are called to do, and it’s great to be able to invite people in.”
Wilcox added, “Bishop Beckwith has talked about how, at one time in England, women didn’t go into pubs because they couldn’t see in through the windows. Worshiping outside, in the community, was a way to allow people to see in. I highly recommend it to other churches.”
Christ Church is considering holding a second outdoor morning service in October, to coincide with the anniversary of its founding in 1858.
Freedom Concert
On the same Sunday, in Teaneck, a different Christ Church was using music to reach out to the community.
That event was Songs of Freedom – A Prelude to Juneteenth, a concert featuring The Unity Ensemble of New Jersey City University. The ensemble is directed by Dr. Maredia Warren, who is also Christ Church’s music director.
This was the Teaneck church’s first-ever commemoration of Juneteenth, which is the oldest known celebration marking the ending of slavery in the United States.
More than 100 people attended, and the reception was enthusiastic, reported Christ Church Senior Warden James Porter.
“There were multiple standing ovations from the audience, which comprised congregation members, friends, families and neighbors from various communities,” said Porter. “The song selection represented the difficult times leading up the Juneteenth event and uplifting melodies celebrating freedom and achievement, while encouraging continuous self-development and respect for all cultures.”
Donations from this event will be directed to Christ Church's continuing Outreach programs, including the Faith Hope and Love Food Pantry, Christmas with Santa Breakfast event, serving Thanksgiving meals, feeding the homeless, and providing for those in need.
