Christ Church
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Learn about our newest, "old"service, COMPLINE


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Music Ministry

Now Available: Four professional  CD’s from the Christ Church Music Ministry featuring the Compline Choir, The Bells of Christ Church, the Folk Group, the Parish Choir with orchestra, and all of the choirs of Christ Church.  Click here for more information and to order your copies!

Musical Heritage
The Reverend John Wesley (rector of Christ Church 1736-1737) published the first English Hymnal in America at Christ Church in 1737. The Reverend Bland Tucker (rector of Christ Church 1945-1967) served on the committees which put together both The Hymnal 1940 and our current hymnal, The The Hymnal 1982; he also authored many hymns that appeared in both. In 1819, Paul Revere and Sons constructed the north tower bell which rings at all worship services.

Philosophy
Our church is committed to ministry through music, not a mere music program. As followers of Jesus Christ we strive to equip the gathered saints for the work of ministry. Therefore, music making is not an end in itself, but a means to a greater end: that of offering a living sacrifice of praise, of personal time and talent to our God.

As Christian musicians, we are not here to serve the art, but to serve the God of the art. Therefore the first commitment we ask of each participant is to be a worshipper. Ours is not an auditioned program. Membership in a choir requires the ability to match pitch consistently, a commitment to regular attendance, and a desire to improve one's own musical ability. We encourage you to come and experience our ministry of music. It will feed your soul.

Choirs
Our first and largest choir is our congregation which gathers for worship each week. Our congregation loves to sing God's praises and enjoys a rich heritage of Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Songs as an offering to God. Our rehearsing choirs include:


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Parish Choir
(Senior High through Adult)
Leads in worship each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Eucharist.  Presents major works, Advent Lessons and Carols, and an annual Spring Concert.
Meets in the choir room, located in the church Undercroft.  Rehearsals begin in late August on Wednesday evenings 7-9 p.m. (choir dinner 6 p.m., child care provided)

Choristers
(Grades 2-middle school)
Leads in worship each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Eucharist.  Participates in Advent Lessons and Carols and an annual Spring Concert.
Meets in the choir room, located in the church Undercroft.  Rehearsals begin in early Sept on Wed. afternoons 4:30-6 p.m.

The Bells of Christ Church
(Mixed Teen-age and Adult group)
Rings monthly in worship at 10:30 a.m. Eucharist.  Participates in Advent Lessons and Carols and an annual Spring Concert.
Meets in the balcony of the church nave.  rehearsals begin in med-Sept. on Monday evenings 6:30-8 p.m.

Folk Group

(Mixed Teen-age and Adult group)
Instrumental and Vocal Ensemble.  Leads music during the Eucharist at the 10:30 a.m. service.
Meets twice monthly on Thursday evenings 5:30-7:30 p.m.

The Compline Choir

The Compline Choir, an auditioned ecumenical choir, sings the Office of Compline each Sunday at 9:00p.m.   The choir has been invited several years to sing for the Georgia Music Educator’s Convention (GMEA), has been featured in several newspaper articles and has produced a television special with WTOC.  “Come, say goodnight to God.”  To learn more about Compline click here.

Musical Instruments
Christ Church has been lovingly endowed with a collection of fine musical instruments. The church has two organs: a 61-rank/3-manual Harrison and Harrison from England in the church nave, and a 2-manual/25-rank Allen Renaissance Organ in the Chapel. Other keyboards in the musician's gallery include a 6-foot Boston by Steinway, and a 2-manual Harpsichord by Sabathil and Sons of British Columbia, Canada. The church's active Handbell Choir program enjoys a 6-octave set of Malmark handbells for tune ringing, 6-octave set of choir chimes and a 3-octave set of Petit and Fritzen Handbells used for liturgical and change ringing. Through its Audio Ministry, the church records services of worship and all major musical events digitally through a stereo pair of Neumann microphones.




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Outreach and Concerts

Each year Christ Church is blessed with visiting choirs, organists, vocalists, and instrumental ensembles who put on concerts in our church nave. The room features excellent acoustics, and the intimacy provided by the wrap-around gallery makes for a favorite place in Savannah for concert making. In February of each year Christ Church plays host to the Choral Division of GMEA (Georgia Music Educator's Association). Savannah Music Festival, held each March, regularly holds concerts in Christ Church and sponsors an annual organ concert. In addition, our Music Ministry presents a major choral work with orchestra each year and an Annual Spring Concert in May featuring all of the choirs and music ensembles of the church.  Most recently, The Bells of Christ Church have begun a series of outreach tours in the early summer.

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