6th December 2024

Ken Stewart’s Thought for 29 November speaks of the passing of musician Peter Wilkinson from Horfield BC. We remember Peter with affection, and admiration for his  talent. He directed the music for a Tyndale musical some years ago when I sang in the chorus, and he may have helped us with shows before I came to Tyndale.

I think of others like him, also not professional musicians. Two brothers in my home church in Cheltenham who played the organ for decades, one for morning services, the other for  evenings, our Sunday morning BB Bible Class, and also at summer camp. The organist at my family’s church, who also played at my independent Sunday School. And the dear lady, getting on in years, who played at the little church way out of town in the Cotswolds. Our whole congregation, with our Boys and Girls Brigade companies including our band  descended on them annually one Sunday summer’s evening, cramming in, swelling their usual number of six faithful souls. As teenagers we took great delight as Miss Smith worked away vigorously at the harmonium in some lively hymn to see the vase of flowers on the top wobble… would it fall off? It never did!

I had my first preach in that church, and I think of all the organists over the last sixty years to whom I sent the hymns in the week before leading their worship on Sunday. Not one, as far as I know, was a professional musician, apart from Tyndale’s Sarah Dodds.

To them all: for diligently applying their God-given talent, accompanying and enhancing my worship… Thank You!

David Bell