Music

Music Ministries

Sing and Make Melody to the Lord

Our Music Ministries

The word to describe the music at All Saints' is “diverse.” A typical Sunday service might involve singing a hymn from the 16th century, a contemporary Spanish Alleluia, listening to a popular song and thinking about how its message relates to how God is working in our lives, rocking out to Black Gospel music, having meditative piano music lead us into prayer, and listening to a Bach fugue played on the organ.


At All Saints', we don't just listen to music, we are a singing congregation. Our choirs and other musicians, with their tireless efforts, enrich our singing, offering specially prepared and rehearsed music to make our collective prayer a truly rich and beautiful experience. You can enjoy contemporary music at our 8:50 service or sing along to traditional hymns at the 10:50 service, which uses the hymnal. The hymnal draws all Episcopalians together musically in the same way the Book of Common Prayer draws us together in prayer and liturgy. While some of the hymns date back to monastic chants, the hymnal also offers more modern music.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”


-Colossians 3:16

Why sing in church?


Think back to the last birthday party you attended. Did you sing “Happy Birthday?” Your answer is probably “yes.” Singing occurs naturally when singing with family at a funeral or with friends at a concert. So what about singing with the body of Christ?

This may be a question you’ve always asked yourself but haven’t heard discussed within the church. Generally speaking, singing in a congregational setting has been widely accepted amongst various denominations, age groups, and even cultures. So why is that? Why do we sing? Here are five reasons that we sing in worship.

God commands us to sing. There are hundreds of references to singing within the Bible. Jesus
He sang songs of praise after the Last Supper. If we are called to replicate the character of Christ, I’m confident that singing should always be involved.

Christians have sung throughout history. The earliest Christians put their community beliefs in
songs, which is why Christian hymnody began. Songs are recorded in scripture and other
historical texts. The Book of Psalms in the Bible is a great resource for reading the songs of believers who have gone before us.

Songs can give us theology. As you may know, hymns and other Christian songs contain rich,
theological text. Singing uses both parts of the brain; therefore, it can educate
us about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Singing connects us emotionally. Songs of celebration have the power to lead us to dance, and songs of lament have the power to lead us to tears. Music has a way of piercing into the deep parts of our soul, assisting in our expression and response to God and to the church.

Singing helps unite us in the church. The gospel alone unites believers with one another. However, music is a tool that allows us to do so. As we gather on the Sabbath, we join as one body and praise God with one voice.

Recognize that God gives each of us different gifts. We all are called, wanted, and expected to sing. My hope for you comes from the proclamation found in Psalm 96. “Sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord! Bless His name! Share the news of his saving work every single day!”

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