Music Ministries at Auburn UMC

Music Ministries at Auburn UMC Like and Share our page to keep up with all the music happenings at Auburn United Methodist Church. Psalm 33:1-3 (NIV)

Watch our services live http://live.myocv.com/auburnumc/

Worship is the many ways that we show God our love, adoration, honor and praise. Music and creative arts are some of the ways that we worship at AUMC. These include Adult Choirs, Youth Choirs, Celebration Praise Team, and Handbell Choirs. We also host guest musician performances throughout the year. Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;

it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.

06/14/2026

Sanctuary Worship Service

Psalm 116:1-2–“I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Because he has inclined his ear to m...
06/12/2026

Psalm 116:1-2–“I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Because he has inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.”

June 14 is the third Sunday after Pentecost, capping off what has been a very busy and joy filled week of VBS at AUMC and the Alabama-West Florida UMC Annual Conference held in Pensacola. At Annual Conference, long time AUMC choir member, Julia Norton, received the prestigious Alice Lee Laity Award.

Our congregational hymns on Sunday will be two very familiar hymns, Charles Wesley’s “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” and Edward Plumptre’s “Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart”.

At 11:00, the Chancel Choir will share an anthem, “O God, Beyond All Praising”. The lyricist, Michael Perry, was a Church of England clergyman and one of the leading British hymnodists of the 20th century. He wrote over 300 hymns before succumbing to a brain tumor in 1996 at age 54. The music for this anthem is Richard Proulx’s setting of Gustav Holst’s “Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity”, the 4th Movement of his Seven Movement Orchestral Suite, “The Planets”. “Jollity” seems a very British way of expressing joy! The first verse of the anthem is—“O God beyond all praising, we worship you today and sing the love amazing that songs cannot repay; for we can only wonder at ev’ry gift you send, at blessings without number and mercies without end; we lift our hearts before you and wait upon your word, we honor and adore you, our great and mighty Lord.”

We invite you to join us in worship at AUMC this Sunday, June 14, at 8:30 a.m. in the chapel or at 11:00 a.m. in the sanctuary and on-line.

Psalm 33:1-3 & 20-22 (NIV)—“Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Prai...
06/05/2026

Psalm 33:1-3 & 20-22 (NIV)—“Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy…We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, and we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.”

Sunday, June 7, the second Sunday after Pentecost, marks changes both for denominations that follow the liturgical calendar and for the AUMC choir. Liturgically, we are moving from the season of Easter which concluded with Ascension Sunday, Pentecost, and Trinity Sunday into the long season of Ordinary time (not as in plain, but as in numbered). This summer at AUMC will certainly not be plain! The liturgical color for this season is green. For the choir, we are moving into our no-robe/wear blue tops season. We will continue to occupy the loft and “sing joyfully to the Lord” through congregational hymns and anthems, but we will be a bit more casual. We would love to have others give choir a try this summer. We will be practicing just on Sunday mornings at 10:15 for the next seven weeks—no Wednesday night rehearsals in June and the first three weeks of July.

This Sunday at AUMC will be far from “ordinary”. We will commission the Honduras Mission Team. We will celebrate the 70th anniversary of women’s ordination in the UMC through our music. We will also celebrate Holy Communion using a special liturgy prepared by GCOSROW. Our own ordained female pastor and loyal choir member, Katrina Paxson, will give the sermon.

Our first hymn Sunday is “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” which could serve as an opening hymn on any Sunday, but it particularly fits as we move from Trinity Sunday to this new liturgical season. The middle hymn, “God of the Women” refers to women in ministry. It is fitting that it is written by a female pastor, the Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. Though Presbyterian now, she grew up in a Methodist family and was baptized and confirmed in the UMC. She has written over 400 hymns, many of which are fresh lyrics set to well known hymn tunes. “God of the Women” is sung to the familiar tune of “Be Thou My Vision.”

At the 11:00 a.m. service, the Chancel Choir will share “Faith of Our Mothers”. It, too, is written by a female theologian, Mary Louise Bringle. She is a professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Brevard College in North Carolina. She has authored a number of books and hymns, and she chaired the committee that oversaw the publication of one of the newest printed hymnals, the “Glory to God” hymnal.

Today’s attached photos are of green stoles, green for the liturgical season we are entering and stoles representing the stoles that ordained pastors in the United Methodist Church are allowed to wear. We invite you to join us in worship and in celebrating women in ministry this Sunday morning at 8:30 in the chapel or at 11:00 in the sanctuary.

Psalm 148:1-2 & 13–“Praise the Lord from heaven! Praise God on the heights! Praise God, all of you who are his messenger...
05/29/2026

Psalm 148:1-2 & 13–“Praise the Lord from heaven! Praise God on the heights! Praise God, all of you who are his messengers! Praise God, all of you who comprise his heavenly host!…Let all of these praise the Lord’s name because only God’s name is high over all. Only God’s majesty is over earth and heaven.”

At the 11:00 a.m. Sanctuary service on Sunday, May 31, the Chancel Choir and Orchestra will share a very special Trinity Sunday worship service.

Through our music we will fully proclaim the majesty and glory of the Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Throughout the year, we mention the Trinity when we recite the Apostle’s Creed. When we sing “Holy, Holy, Holy” or say “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory” during Communion, we recognize the Triune God. But, we have just this one Sunday each year actually called Trinity Sunday which is the third and highest of the three high holy Sundays of Ascension, Pentecost, and Trinity.

Vocally we will begin with four anthems incorporated into the regular order of worship: Dan Forrest’s arrangement of “Great Is
Thy Faithfulness”, our own choir member Charles “Matt” Martin’s “Trinity/Father We Praise Thee”, Dan Forrest’s “Forevermore”, and Marian Forman’s “One Jehovah” (from “Trinity”).

Then, as the sermon, we will share Rene’ Clausen’s arrangement of “Te Deum”. The “Te Deum” is one of the oldest and grandest hymns of the church. Often attributed to St. Ambrose in the 4th century, its precise origins are shrouded in mystery, but it has been known since the 5th century and by Medieval times, it was a familiar hymn all over the Christian world. The text is drawn from various parts of the Bible, woven together in such a way as to summarize the whole of Christian doctrine. Vocally, it is a challenging and glorious work. The orchestration is beautiful.

We think this Sunday will bring a new understanding of God’s power and promise in our lives as God continues to provide us with hope both for today and for tomorrow even in times of trouble—“O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us. Oh Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us, as our trust is in thee. O Lord, in thee have I trusted, let me never be confounded.”

All are invited to join us this Sunday at 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary. We especially invite our 8:30 a.m. worshippers to enjoy brunch in between services and to join us again at 11:00 a.m. The two services will both focus on and praise the Triune God, but they will be different in style. As a Chancel Choir, we pray that we will be God’s messengers in praising Him and proclaiming His majesty as we present the “Te Deum” and other anthems this Sunday.

Psalm 8:8–“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth!”Isaiah 6:3–“Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of host...
05/29/2026

Psalm 8:8–“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth!”

Isaiah 6:3–“Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

It is not often that we share separate Music Ministries posts with highlights musically for the 8:30 a.m. Chapel service and the 11:00 a.m. Sanctuary service, but this week is one of those weeks. Both will celebrate Trinity Sunday, but the services will be distinctive.

On Sunday, May 31, the 8:30 a.m. service in the Chapel will begin musically with an organ prelude of “Introit and Hymn on Holy, Holy, Holy” shared by Sandra Watwood, who served as our organist for many years and who will bless us once again this Sunday. Her prelude will be followed by the congregation singing verses 1-3 of “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty”. As the first verse says, “Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee!” so it is very fitting for the 8:30 a.m. service on Trinity Sunday. Written in 1826 by Anglican Bishop Reginald Heber, “Holy, Holy, Holy” is widely considered to be the most representative and iconic Trinitarian hymn of the “modern” Christian tradition.

The middle hymn at the Chapel service will be verses 1-3 of Charles Wesley’s 1747 hymn, “Maker, in Whom We Live”. Originally titled “To the Trinity”, Wesley was one of the first to incorporate the idea of the Trinity into hymns. It first appeared in the Methodist Hymnal in 1821. It is sung to DIADEMATA, the same tune as “Crown Him with Many Crowns”. Predating, “Holy, Holy, Holy”, it is considered to be the most Wesleyan/Methodist of the hymns that focus on the Trinity.

The Chapel service will have a traditional sermon shared by our lay leader Dr. Leonard Bell.

The 4th verse of “Maker, in Whom We Live” will be the closing hymn; the benediction response will be the 4th verse of “Holy, Holy, Holy”; and Sandra’s postlude will be “Finale on Holy, Holy, Holy”.

We do hope that many of you who regularly attend the 8:30 a.m. service will consider enjoying the 5th Sunday Brunch and that you will then also attend the 11:00 a.m. Trinity Sunday service presented by the Chancel Choir and Orchestra. A post regarding the 11:00 a.m. service will appear shortly.

Psalm 104:30-33–“When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. May the glory of the...
05/21/2026

Psalm 104:30-33–“When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works—He who looks at the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”

Acts 2:1-4–“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound came from Heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each of them. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit…”

Pentecost, derived from the Greek word “pentekoste” means “fiftieth”. It marks 50 days after Easter Sunday. It marks the shift from Jesus” earthly ministry to the ministry of his followers, empowered by the Holy Spirit. The sanctuary will be decorated in reds and oranges to resemble tongues of fire and our music from prelude to congregational hymns to the anthem to a sung response to the postlude will focus on breath and the Holy Spirit.

Congregational hymns will be “O Breath of Life” which is sung to the well known tune of “O For. Thousand Tongues to Sing”, “O Spirit of the Living God” which is sung to the familiar tune of “I Sing the Almighty Power of God”, and “Spirit of the Living God (Fall Afresh on Me)”.

The Offertory Anthem shared by the Chancel Choir at 11:00 a.m. will be “Holy Spirit, Hope and Healer” — “Holy Spirit, Hope and Healer, fill me with your gift of love. Holy Spirit, Guide, Revealer, come and bless me from above. Tune my heart to your intention. Light my mind with Heaven’s Flame. Holy Spirit, Dove of Heaven, claim my heart in Jesus’ name…Call my hands to selfless service. Raise me up on wings of Grace. Holy Spirit, Well of Wisdom, hold me fast in your embrace. Holy Spirit, Wind that woos me, blow the seeds of doubt away. Flame of Faith, inspire, infuse me with assurance, come what may. Breathe your Breath of Life and Living deep into my very soul. Holy Spirit, All Forgiving, melt me, mold me, make me whole.”

The service will conclude with Sarah Cater playing a joyful arrangement of “Every Time I Feel the Spirit.” All are invited to celebrate Pentecost Sunday at Auburn UMC this Sunday, May 17, and to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Address

137 South Gay Street
Auburn, AL
36830

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+13348268800

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