Music
The music ministry at Fairport United Methodist Church nurtures the congregation by providing music that deepens our relationship with God. With this vision in mind, musicians offer their gifts in worship after careful practice and preparation.
Vocal choirs, handbell choirs, instrumental ensembles and soloists embody the growing music ministry at Fairport UMC. We have volunteer choirs that rehearse regularly during the academic year, plus groups that rehearse seasonally, plus vocal and instrumental soloists. All are welcome!
If you have any questions about our musical opportunities or would like to become involved with this ministry, please contact Nicole Camilleri, Music Ministry Director, at 585-223-9560 or [email protected]
Choirs in Worship
- Joyful Noise – Children, ages 4 through 2nd grade. Rehearses Tuesday evenings, 6:30-7:15 pm. Sings once a month at the 10:30 am service
- Heavenly Choir – Children, ages 3rd through 5th grade. Rehearses Tuesday evenings, 6:30-7:15 pm. Sings once a month at the 10:30 am service
- Chancel Choir – Adult singers, 11th grade and older. Rehearses Wednesday evenings, 7:30-9:00 pm. Sings 10:30 am service every Sunday.
- Early Choir – Adult singers, 11th grade and older. Rehearses two Sundays a month, 8:00-9:00 am. Sings 9:00am service on the mornings they rehearse.
- Bell Choir – Adult ringers, 11th grade and older. Rehearses Thursday evenings, 6:30-8:00 pm. Rings one Sunday a month at both services.
- Cantata Choir – Adult singers, 11th grade and older. Rehearses Wednesday evenings and some Saturdays, October – December. Sings at the annual program of Advent choral and handbell music.
- Praise Group – Singers/instrumentalists of various ages. Rehearses occasionally. Occasionally offers contemporary special music at both services on selected Sundays.
- Other Occasional Choirs – Chamber Choir, Heavenly Bell Choir, Instrumental Ensembles, Intergenerational Choir, Women’s Choir, Men’s Choir
Instrumentalists in Worship
In addition, instrumentalists often share their talents in worship, both as soloists and as additional musicians with a choir anthem. Pianists may offer their gifts as soloists or as accompanists.
Choirs Sharing Talents During Worship
Choirs and soloists add depth to worship by providing prayerful and expressive music. We have enthusiastic volunteer singers and instrumentalists who offer their time and talent to the music ministry. If you would like to share your musical talents, please contact Nicole Camilleri at 585-223-9560 or [email protected].
“Any time a group of individuals ….. comes together to be united with a single purpose of joining their voices into one and offering their best musical talents to the worship of God, lives are forever changed.” — David Donathan from “Sharing Your First Fruits”, Worship Arts, July/August 2009
The Parsons Organ
The organ is central to the church’s music ministry. It supports the congregational singing, accompanies the choir anthems and provides repertoire drawn from over five centuries of sacred music.
The original pipe organ was built in 1913 by the Charles Topliff Company, Rochester, NY. In the early 1950s, Tellers Organ Company of Erie, PA, electrified the original tracker action and in the 1960s, the pipe organ was relocated by Bryant G. Parsons & Son, Inc. to the new church building. Due to an unfortunate dry environment, the original chests developed extensive cracks and began to fail.
In 1997, the organ was re-manufactured into a “new” instrument by Parsons Pipe Organ Builders of Canandaigua, NY. Much of the original pipework was retained, along with the keyboards. New components included the blower and the console.
In 2007, a generous gift allowed us to purchase new keyboards for the organ. The mechanisms in the old Tellers keys had worn down and both manuals needed to be replaced.
The instrument has 35 stops (23 independent), 28 ranks and 1667 pipes.
Sunday School for All Ages
During the school year, 9:00 am – 10:00 am Sunday School for:
Children – Pre-K through 5th Grade
We are currently using a lectionary based curriculum from SparkHouse. The children enjoy age appropriate stories and hands-on activities each week using the same scripture families will hear in worship.
Spark Activate Faith is Bible-centered programming at its best and each lesson is broken into four components. During Gather, kids enjoy a welcoming activity and prayer. In Open the Bible, they explore a story together in their Bibles. Then, in Activate Faith, kids experience creative activities which integrate Bible learning with everyday life. Finally, a Send activity and prayer close the lesson. Children leave class with Faith on the Go activities to use with their families throughout the week.
For toddlers through kindergarteners, our goal is to help children feel connected to our church family through the establishment of caring relationships with adults other than parents. We hope that they begin to understand God’s love in a tangible way through the lessons and their teachers.
For 1st—5th graders, we begin to build a Biblical and elementary theological foundation as well as to continue relationships with their teachers. At the secondary levels we provide students with a “safe” setting where they explore and make faith their own, deciding to be “Christian on purpose,” all the while continuing to build relationships with members of our faith community.
Youth – 6th through 12th Grades
Our multi-faceted Junior High program engages youth from 6th-8th grade in a journey towards Confirmation. The Sunday School class meets weekly at 9:00 am in room 214 where they learn more about the Church in general and the United Methodist Church specifically. The goal of the program is to give the youth a solid understanding of what it means to be a member of a church, what we are claiming when we claim to be Christian, and in particular what is to be United Methodist. During the year we visit other churches to gain perspective and to help us in making our decision about confirmation. The Junior High program also has Youth Group which meets two to three times a month for fun, bonding and for service and mission work. To learn more, please go to the Youth Ministry page!
Our Senior High program is for grades 9 through 12. Sunday School meets weekly at 9 am in Room 207 where we explore current issues and topics that the youth are facing and gain an understanding of how being Christian
can guide us through high school with the help of the Bible, prayer, wisdom from teachers and guest speakers as well as the curriculum. The Senior High Youth Group meets weekly and engages in service to others, fun and games, singing and a chance to hang together. Led by the Youth Leadership team, activities are varied weekly. Check out the Youth Ministry page for more information!
Service and Mission are a big part of the Youth Ministry program here at FUMC…from helping out with programs at Fairport UMC to working with others in the community and our country to reaching out to our brothers and sisters throughout the world, we do activities, raise funds and go on Mission trips annually. For more information, check out the Youth Ministry page!
Adult
Adult Forum Sunday School meets at 9:00 am. These discussions examine material from a variety of sources. Join us for some lively discussion! Everyone is welcome, regardless of how many weeks you can attend. We also have different seasonal Bible studies throughout the year. Additionally, FUMC offers several adult spiritual growth classes, and multiple small groups that meet weekly/biweekly. Watch for details on specific upcoming programs and opportunities in the weekly bulletin and e-news.