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Saturday
March 20, 2010 Since 1922 |
Music in the air at 2nd
By Jim Finley
Contributor Published November 17, 2009 My fertile mind was alive with the sound of music. It wouldn’t last long. (No, no. I’m speaking of the MUSIC not lasting. My mind is just fine.)
I had arrived at the brand-spanking new Second Baytown Baptist Church on North Main to meet with Jack Hall and do my annual thesis on Second’s Christmas music show. But I was awestruck.
I couldn’t get over what God, Second Baytown Pastor Tommy Clements, and the church’s congregation had wrought. What a beautiful place. Wow!
As Jack showed me around, it wasn’t the Art of Journalism I was thinking about. It was the Art of Architecture – the Big Editor In The Sky’s architecture.
Did I say wow? I believe I did.
Jack is Second’s Worship Arts Pastor. But to me he is now and always will be the Music Man. He wanted to talk to me about the big show scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11-12. They’ll call it “The Glorious Christmas,” and it will feature the Annie Moses Band.
But I wish I had talked first and toured later, because the beauty of it all left me distracted. Get with the program, Jimbo, I told myself.
I had already been thrown off-track when I arrived at Second – some 25 minutes late – and Kandi Cumbie, the church’s friendly receptionist, announced to Jack that “Mr. Eshbach is here.”
Mr. Eshbach? As in Jay Eshbach?
I’ve been called a lot of things before, but never “Mr. Eshbach.” (I’m taller and generally better looking than Jay, my friend of many years.)
Though now working in a daze, I learned that “The Glorious Christmas,” which will begin at 7 p.m. nightly, will be a little different from the 23 such concerts/pageants that have been presented in the past.
The Annie Moses Band will perform a number of Christmas melodies on its own, but will also do several tunes with Second’s talented Adult Choir. In other words, the best of both worlds.
Jack explained to me that the band tours the country and is made-up primarily of one family. All were trained at the Julliard School of Music, which is about “as trained” as one can get.
(NON-EDITOR’S NOTE: If I’m not mistaken, the University of Michigan Wolverines have scheduled Julliard next year in football.)
Jack also revealed that the ‘09 musical extravaganza will “not feature our usual pageant.” Just music, he said.
“This year’s concert was designed to take advantage of our great choir,” Jack said, “and also to utilize the new building in the way it was constructed, meaning a comfortable environment to hear and participate in choral music.”
He also pointed out that it will all be “live and no [sound] tracts will be used.”
“It will be entertaining,” the Music Man said. “These folks [the Annie Moses performers] are excellent musicians, of course, but they also having encouraging words about the story of Christ and Christmas.”
And, yes, he reported, the church’s famous “The Twelve Days of Christmas” number, where the entire audience participates, is on the musical menu. That alone is almost worth the price of admission, which is $10.
Speaking of which, tickets are available at the Guest Services Desk during each worship service. Ticket information is also available by calling Second at (281) 427-6506, or by using your Computer Box to e-mail the church at www.secondbaytown.org.
As a well-known music critic myself, I give the show “Two Thumbs Up.” But only because I don’t have more thumbs.
With pertinent information in hand, I readied to take my leave. Before I left, however, I wanted to have a little fun with Receptionist Kandi Cumbie. But she was too quick for me.
As I approached her desk, she turned toward me, smiled, and teased, “Come back and see us, MR. ESHBACH.”
I will Kandi, when the concert goes center-stage.
Jim Finley is a retired managing editor for The Baytown Sun.
Contributor Published November 17, 2009 My fertile mind was alive with the sound of music. It wouldn’t last long. (No, no. I’m speaking of the MUSIC not lasting. My mind is just fine.)
I had arrived at the brand-spanking new Second Baytown Baptist Church on North Main to meet with Jack Hall and do my annual thesis on Second’s Christmas music show. But I was awestruck.
I couldn’t get over what God, Second Baytown Pastor Tommy Clements, and the church’s congregation had wrought. What a beautiful place. Wow!
As Jack showed me around, it wasn’t the Art of Journalism I was thinking about. It was the Art of Architecture – the Big Editor In The Sky’s architecture.
Did I say wow? I believe I did.
Jack is Second’s Worship Arts Pastor. But to me he is now and always will be the Music Man. He wanted to talk to me about the big show scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11-12. They’ll call it “The Glorious Christmas,” and it will feature the Annie Moses Band.
But I wish I had talked first and toured later, because the beauty of it all left me distracted. Get with the program, Jimbo, I told myself.
I had already been thrown off-track when I arrived at Second – some 25 minutes late – and Kandi Cumbie, the church’s friendly receptionist, announced to Jack that “Mr. Eshbach is here.”
Mr. Eshbach? As in Jay Eshbach?
I’ve been called a lot of things before, but never “Mr. Eshbach.” (I’m taller and generally better looking than Jay, my friend of many years.)
Though now working in a daze, I learned that “The Glorious Christmas,” which will begin at 7 p.m. nightly, will be a little different from the 23 such concerts/pageants that have been presented in the past.
The Annie Moses Band will perform a number of Christmas melodies on its own, but will also do several tunes with Second’s talented Adult Choir. In other words, the best of both worlds.
Jack explained to me that the band tours the country and is made-up primarily of one family. All were trained at the Julliard School of Music, which is about “as trained” as one can get.
(NON-EDITOR’S NOTE: If I’m not mistaken, the University of Michigan Wolverines have scheduled Julliard next year in football.)
Jack also revealed that the ‘09 musical extravaganza will “not feature our usual pageant.” Just music, he said.
“This year’s concert was designed to take advantage of our great choir,” Jack said, “and also to utilize the new building in the way it was constructed, meaning a comfortable environment to hear and participate in choral music.”
He also pointed out that it will all be “live and no [sound] tracts will be used.”
“It will be entertaining,” the Music Man said. “These folks [the Annie Moses performers] are excellent musicians, of course, but they also having encouraging words about the story of Christ and Christmas.”
And, yes, he reported, the church’s famous “The Twelve Days of Christmas” number, where the entire audience participates, is on the musical menu. That alone is almost worth the price of admission, which is $10.
Speaking of which, tickets are available at the Guest Services Desk during each worship service. Ticket information is also available by calling Second at (281) 427-6506, or by using your Computer Box to e-mail the church at www.secondbaytown.org.
As a well-known music critic myself, I give the show “Two Thumbs Up.” But only because I don’t have more thumbs.
With pertinent information in hand, I readied to take my leave. Before I left, however, I wanted to have a little fun with Receptionist Kandi Cumbie. But she was too quick for me.
As I approached her desk, she turned toward me, smiled, and teased, “Come back and see us, MR. ESHBACH.”
I will Kandi, when the concert goes center-stage.
Jim Finley is a retired managing editor for The Baytown Sun.