Ministries

First Congregational Church Choirs

With a strong tradition of outstanding music the current choirs consist of:

Chancel Choir

Singing two anthems each Sunday and various responses, rehearses Wednesday evenings, 7:45 – 9:00, and a half hour before Sunday worship, September – May. Cindy Stevens directs our choir and Tyler Menzales plays organ and piano. (see staff page). New voices are always welcome. Call Cindy, 406-771-2270.

Shiri

This is a small vocal ensemble singing and teaching new music to the congregation periodically. New voices and instruments are always welcome. Call Karen Spencer, 406-781-6381, or Lacey Hallett, 406-788-0613 for rehearsal times.

Cantabelle Ringers

A four octave handbell choir playing with regularity in worship, rehearsing Wednesday evenings, 6:30pm – 7:30pm, September – May. Dennis Dell directing (see staff page). New ringers welcome. Contact Dennis at 406-781-0665.

Music Program

With a long history of noted music directors, musicians and choirs, we make a joyful noise unto the Lord (Psalm 95:1). With the installation of a Moller pipe organ built for our sanctuary in 1919, the congregation laid the foundation for our musical heritage. With a major renovation to the organ in 1954, and more recently a $230,000 total rebuild of our organ in 2011, at which time $270,000 was raised, with the remainder establishing an Organ Legacy Fund, we now enjoy a 27 rank, 23 registers, 2 manual and 1 pedal keyboard, 1,526 pipe organ. Ours is one of the finest organs in our city if not the state and we present an annual community concert in celebration of our instrument and in support of the fine arts.

The organ is complimented with a wonderful Yamaha Concert Grand Piano, donated to the church in 1995 by Milt and Lynn Wordal in memory of their parents.

The handbell choirs play a four-octave set of Malmark Handbells purchased from England. In addition we have a three-octave set of choir chimes. The Cantabelle Ringers, originated in 1986, attend the Big Sky Handbell Festival each year in Montana and have hosted it as well. They also participate in the bi-annual Region X (Northwest) handbell festival. On occasion we form a youth choir together to play the chimes.

Our sanctuary is one of the finest acoustical rooms in the city. Together, with our pleasant environment and flexible seating in the half round, we host many community musical events, including the Great Falls Symphony chamber music series of both the Cascade Quartet and Chinook Winds. In addition, other concerts and many recitals are held here as well as we are a popular venue for audition tapes.

Truly we Praise God in the sanctuary…Praise God with trumpet sound, Praise God with lute and harp! Praise God with timbrel and dance…with strings and pipe …let everything that breathes praise the Lord! (Psalm 150)