Choir directors Seth O’Kegley (FUMC) and Anna Thomas (FPC), as well as organist Simon Hogg (SSEC) chat while composer John Purifoy plays piano. (Submitted photo)
Six choirs, with members from three states, will perform in the third and last Service of Psalms for the Lenten season, which will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday, April 2, at First United Methodist Church, 1350 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The service will consist of reflections by local pastors and choral and instrumental performances of psalms selected for Lent that have been set to music by Knoxville composer John Purifoy, a press release said.
An offering collected during the service will be donated to Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachia. ADFAC, an independent nonprofit agency located in Oak Ridge that is celebrating its 30th anniversary, serves the basic needs of primarily low-income residents in Anderson and surrounding Appalachian counties.
Running from Ash Wednesday to Easter, Lent is a season in the church year that is marked by an examination of one’s personal faith and spiritual journey.
Steve Boyce, cantor, will sing solo verses or passages to which the choir and congregation will respond.
The pastors are Richard Edwards and Rachel Witt, First United Methodist Church (FUMC); Sharon Youngs and Chris Black, First Presbyterian Church (FPC); Jake Morrill, Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church (ORUUC); and David Lovett, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church (SSEC).
Four local church choirs, the Lincoln Memorial University Concert Choir and the Tri-State Community Choir (Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia) will be accompanied by Purifoy on piano, SSEC’s Simon Hogg on organ, Aaron Colverson on violin, and FPC’s Peggy Hinkle on harp. Colverson, who lives in Florida, is the brother of FPC’s Colin Colverson.
The Oak Ridge choirs are from FUMC, FPC, ORUUC, and SSEC.
This press release was submitted by Carolyn Krause.
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