My First Service

This is a church I visited in NYC - Rutgers Presbyterian Church..

The e-mail came in at 21:58 EST on the 23rd of April, 2010. In it was an offer to substitute for a couple of services at my church. My initial reaction was “no thank you.” But I held off from sending an immediate response. Why would I want to turn the offer down? Partially because the last time I accompanied a “congregation” on the Organ was eight years ago! I was thirteen. Another reason was because the last time I played the prelude/pre-service music I messed up the piece to the point that I thought I was recomposing the work as went along. That morning I walked out of the choir loft from all the shame I was feeling. Need I mention that I didn’t play at the end of the service as I was supposed to?

Regardless of all the past drama and humiliation I still felt from my failed attempt at being an Organist, I chose to play both the services. The first of which was on May 30th. Trinity Sunday. I didn’t know what that was either – still don’t. I prepared for the service more than I did for my audition for Montclair State University – that was two weeks before the service. I slowly fell off of my friends’ radar as I spent all my waking moments practising. Then it was the big day. I played. Mistakes here and there as I had anticipated. But not bad for having to find (and learn) the prelude, three hymns, the Doxology, the Gloria, the offertory, and the benediction. I ended up playing the postlude I had prepared to play for the service I had walked out on. Thank you Jenise for playing ever so elegantly with me in the prelude and offertory piece. And thank you Jason, my friend and music director, for giving me the opportunity.

Here is the simple, yet powerful piece by David German called the Festive Trumpet Tune which I played to end a successful service. The audio file is the piano and violin piece Jenise and I did. I hope I can pull off my next sub this coming Sunday.