Music Ministry

The Sherman Church has a long history of providing a rich music ministry. Like many small New England churches, programs ebb and flow with attendance and cultural changes. Our choir has had as few as five members and as many as 25 members at any give time. There have been times when we went without a formal choir and relied on our wonderful church family to sing with joy. During 2020 and 2021, COVID brought an unexpected halt to singing, and we have only just begun to sing in person again this June. We anxiously await how God will call new singers to join us to “sing unto the Lord a new song.”

If you are someone who considers voice and song raised to the Lord an important part of worship, then we encourage you to come see us and join us in singing at the Sherman Church. Whether our choir is singing or our congregation is singing, as one visiting minister put it, “this is a singing church!”

“The music at Sherman Church was always presented as worship to God, not as a performance for accolades for musician and/or choir.”

Choir Member, 2021

“The Sherman Church has been blessed with some truly talented musicians throughout my twenty-two years there. With Carolyn’s capable direction of this ministry, we have worshipped and praised the Lord during our services, held concerts for our community, and raised funds for those who needed it. For me, what I like most about music at the Sherman Church is that it draws us together in worshipping our God. What we can create with multiple voices can’t be created alone. It takes each one of us to add our gifts and talents to the song. If any one of us is missing, the song is changed. And yet, decades later, I can still hear echoes of the voices of those long past as we sing.”

Choir Member, 2021

Some of our choir members’ favorite hymns:

“Look at the World”, the song Jill Thompson’s dad wrote; Be Thou My Vision; Tis so sweet to Trust in Jesus; I Love to Tell the Story; Count Your Blessings; I know Who Holds Tomorrow;Come Thou Fount; It is Well with My Soul; Ode to Joy; In the Garden

“Christmas and Easter are both special to me in different ways, but musically, there’s a song we sing leading up to Easter called Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone that brings tears to my eyes every time. But then, so does And the Father Will Dance.”  — Choir Member 2021

Here is what we have done in the past, and what we hope to continue to offer the Lord in prayerful, joyful worship – according to God’s will:

Sunday Worship: Each Sunday the choir leads in the singing of hymns, as well as provides special music during the offertory and/or anthem portions of the worship service. We sing as a full choir and in small groups.

Holy Week: Often we have had a special worship service where a cantata or responsive reading and singing program is presented as the worship service, which allows the congregation to experience the Passion through readings and prayerful, reflective song.

Advent and Christmas: This joyous time of year includes a community concert, and in years past has included the New Milford Congregational Church. We have had musicians play flute, violin, and cello as part of our services. More recently we have offered a concert gathering with a time for favorite carol requests. Advent season also includes visiting those in need with a carol-sing.

Community Programs: In 2002, for the 200th Town of Sherman celebration, we invited singers to join us to sing for a community summer concert, which included songs such as Tenting Tonight and the Battle Hymn of the Republic. On some occasions, we were called upon to sing at town events, and would gather a small group to sing for the community.