Music Ministry at
Peoples Church

by Rishi Wagle, Director of Music Ministry

As of this month, I have officially accepted my new role with People’s Church as the inaugural Director of Music Ministry. I am looking forward to growing my role with People’s Church and collaborating with the congregation to grow our musical offerings!

This month, I will be working to reimagine and revitalize the People’s Church choir. After some reflection and collaboration with Carin and other church choir directors, we would like to try rehearsing the choir on Sunday mornings just before our services as a part of the “Whole Church RE” approach. Our first rehearsal will be before the service on Sunday, August 23 at 9:45am.

Please consider joining the People’s Church choir. Group singing is one of the most powerful forms of music making and can serve a vital role in worship. Speaking for myself, singing in a choir is when I feel the most connected to people and the world around me. A common misunderstanding is that singing is a skill that people are born with, or that musical talent is something that is innate within people. However, research shows that musical ability, including singing, is a skill just like anything else. The more that a person practices singing, the better they become.

In this regard, even if you have never sung in a choir before, I encourage you to join the People’s Church choir. Even if you have sung in the choir before and stopped for one reason or another, I encourage you to try again, as we are reimagining the choir. I hope to cultivate a strong community around the choir, and hope that it is an engaging, powerful, yet musically rewarding experience for people of all ages and musical abilities. However, I need your help and participation to make this vision a reality. This is a pivotal moment in the history of People’s Church where we have the opportunity to create something special that will build a strong musical foundation for generations to come. Please join us on August 23, and email me at music@pcuu.org if you have any questions.