Jason's Farewell (4)

We had a special worship service celebrating God's glory in music and giving thanks for the time Jason and Heather have spent with us, sharing their gifts, talents, and friendship. We will miss them both!

Combined Choral Concert (6)

There was something for everyone at the Concert Series Finale. The Sanctuary Choir joined forces with the Southwestern Michigan College choirs to perform choral works from all eras. The SMC Select Choir sang a number of works ranging from the Renaissance to the Beatles. Sweeney Todd never sounded so good! There was also some organ pieces performed by Katherine Monroe and our own Jason Branham. The audience even got to join in the celebration.

Phantom of the Opera (8)

Steven Ball from University of Michigan came to provide improvised accompaniment to the 1925 silent film, "Phantom of the Opera." What a great evening of family entertainment! There were funny scenes (if you see someone from First Pres with their had raised by their head, you'll know they're protecting themselves from lassos!); there were scary scenes, and the plot was... well, predictable, but solid. The music was phenomenal, with many references to Faust (the opera in the Phantom of the Opera), and other iconic references (e.g. Dies Irae) to illustrate the plot. There were sounds coming from the First Pres organ we haven't heard in quite some time (the sound of the breaking of the chandelier was particularly wonderful).

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  Fifth Sunday Praise Band (5)

  The outstanding band, More Than Sundays, led our worship service for our Fifth Sunday in January. As First Pres' debut into contemporary worship, the MTS band was a great choice, showing us one aspect of contemporary worship that kept close to our familiar liturgy and order of worship, and had contemporary arrangements of standard hymns. Love it or hate it, this was certainly different!

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Christmas Pageant (20)

You Can't Cancel Christmas Youth Service “Dude, your mom has totally lost it,” Noah tells Nate. She’s so busy fretting about Christmas dinner preparations that she forgets about helping the kids practice for the church pageant. Mom cancels Christmas! Banished from the kitchen, the kids are left on their own to prepare the pageant. King James it’s not — but funny it is! When Mom unwittingly stumbles onto the scene of the performance, the beautifully simple truth of Jesus’ birth emerges from the humor and pushes her worries of domestic duties aside. Try as you might, you can’t cancel Christmas!



Christ the King Collage Concert (4)

There was a little bit of everything at the Christ the King Collage Concert. Choir, handbells, organ, brass quintet, as well as a sing-fest were all represented in a collage of exciting music. Special thanks to the North American Brass Quintet and community members who joined the choir.



Jason Branham Organ Recital (7)

Our own Jason Branham, Music Director, gave a solo recital, "Timeless Music for Modern Times." The recital included works of Bach, Buxtehude, Franck, and a humorous "organist's job interview." It was quite a treat to hear these difficult pieces from the organ repertoire played so competently. Well done, Jason!



God Rocks the Block (13)

The First Presbyterian Church of Niles was rockin’ with the Christian rock band, Affix. Affix has been acclaimed for their original Christian rock music, and have toured West Virginia, Indianapolis, and Virginia. Part of Fourth Street was blocked off for the festivities, which included ice cream and hot dogs from Paris Soda Shop and fresh made-to-order pizza from Talia’s pizza. Dunk-a-Clergy was especially popular.



Bell Petting Zoo (5)

An open house for the bells and chimes generated a lot of interest among the kids. The mallets, in particular, were quite popular. Talk to Jason if you'd like to see a young kids' bell choir.

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Concert Series Finale 2010 (1)

Two organists and three choirs provided a varied program consisting of music ranging over 500 years. Composers from Palestrina to Sting were well-represented. Guest organist Katy Monroe and our own Jason Branham put the organ through its paces in pieces by Bach and Reger. The Select Choir from Southwestern Michigan Universityunder the direction of David Carew, treated us to a choral work by Schubert and a variety of eclectic a capella songs. The sancutary was filled with sound when over 100 voices joined together in a combined choir of the Southwestern Mich. Univ. choir and our own Sanctuary Choir.The rafters shook when everyone, including the audience, sang the Ode to Joy as the Finale of the Finale. What a terrific concert!



In The Deepest Night (4)

Guest conductor Alex Sutton directed this Lenten meditation based on the writings of Julian of Norwich (1342 – c. 1416). Julian of Norwich was one of the greatest English mystics, known also for her records and interpretations of her visions of Jesus Christ. Aaron David Miller has composed music to set her writings that is beautifully haunting and yet uplifting. A fabulous performance by the Sanctuary Choir. Special thanks go to Alex Sutton, conductor, and Jaesung Lee and So Hyun Yoon, guest violinists.

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