The melody lingers on
Just a bunch
of guys who loved to sing. That’s the way we described HIS MEN, tiny male
chorus of 13 singers that formed in 1972.
No major
goals. No lofty dreams. Out to impress no one on how well we could read notes
or sing difficult anthems. Instead, we wanted to deliver a simple message, using
simple and melodic songs of faith…songs people loved and wanted to hear. No
expensive sound equipment and a traveling bus. From day one the group never
charged a fee. If groups wanted us for fund-raising, they got all the money. We
were not looking for glory in the major concert halls, but instead made a concerted
effort to get into small churches and tiny venues, where good music could or
would seldom be heard.
Singing for
church services took second place, so that, instead, we could bring our songs
to the downtrodden and disenfranchised, the elderly, the sick and injured. We
went into hospitals, nursing homes, orphanages, jails, prisons. Where others
chose not to go, we opted to share Christ in music as HIS MEN!
We proudly
embraced that name. We were singing HIS praises, doing HIS work.
Remember in
the Bible when God said he’d give Solomon whatever he wanted? Solomon asked for
wisdom, and God was so touched by that that he gave him riches, as well. I
think in our case, God honored our lofty goals by blessing us with good sound
as an added bonus. The sound of HIS MEN, from day one in the autumn of 1972,
has been outstanding.
Now those sounds
are coming to an end. After hundreds of performances, thousands of miles
traveled, millions of dollars raised for charity, the ministry of HIS MEN is
going silent. The exit will quietly take place Sunday morning, August 25, at
John Mattson’s church, First Congregational in Muskegon. And I’ll admit, I’m
feeling a bit emotional about this. I was the director for the first 21 years.
Mattson, well-known church musician in the Greater Muskegon area, took the
baton from that day on. Just two directors, both unpaid, in 47 years!
I’ve never
done this on the blog site, and I hope it works. I’d like to proudly share my
last performance with HIS MEN in 1993. (They sound even better today!)
Only God
knows how many lives have been touched by the musical ministry of HIS MEN,
especially prisoners. But not just the lives of those who heard them. That
also includes the lives of the 46 men who, over the years, sang in the group.
And six accompanists.
And
especially two directors.
The melody lingers on.
SOLI DEO
GLORIA!
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