Music Ministry at ZBC
The Music Ministry at Zebulon Baptist Church is an important part of our worship. We believe that music is a gift from God, and we need to share our gift of music with others. Our congregation enjoys singing beautiful hymns of the faith both old and new as we are accompanied by organ and piano.
We welcome and encourage anyone who has a love for music to become a part of our music ministry.
I am delighted that you have visited the music page of our website. My hope is that our music ministry touches everyone who is a part of our congregation or who worships with us at Zebulon Baptist. Since 1989 I have been privileged to lead the music ministry of our church. I have been richly blessed by talented staff musicians, by incredible singers and ringers in our choirs, by amazing volunteers that have worked in our graded choir program, and by an affirming congregation who loves and appreciates the music of the church that we sing together and that we share through choral and instrumental music selections. Allow us to minister to you through music in worship. Join us in singing the great hymns of our faith. And, if you have gifts and interests that might lead to your participation in one or more of our choirs, please read about the offerings of our music ministry.
I would love for you to join a choir, to engage your youth and children in our ministry, or to volunteer to work with one of our younger choirs. Please contact me if you have questions or concerns about our music ministry at Zebulon Baptist. It is my pleasure to serve God by serving you!
-Barbara Glasgow, Minister of Music and Senior Adults
Music Mates Choir
Music Mates Choir introduces our children to the music of our faith and gives them their first opportunity to sing as a choir in worship. We want these early childhood experiences to be fun and engaging for the children. Their presentations in worship are pressure free. We all simply enjoy them as they share their songs of Jesus and God’s good creation with us.
The Music Mates meet from mid-August through mid-May on Wednesday evenings at 7:00. The Music Mates Choir is for children in their last two years of preschool, or in other words, for the children who in two years or in one year will be in Kindergarten.
Cherub Choir
Cherub Choir is for children in Kindergarten through the 3rd Grade. The Cherub Choir meets at 7 PM on Wednesdays from mid-August to mid-May.
In Cherub Choir children become more comfortable with singing in church and learn a wider array of songs. They sing more frequently in worship and often may sing at Christmas and Easter presentations by our Sanctuary Choir.
Juniors Choir
Our Juniors Choir consists of our 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th graders. Their choir meets at 7 PM on Wednesdays from mid-August to mid-May.
The Juniors Choir continues the choral music development of our older children as they sing more challenging music, are first introduced to singing in two parts, and annually present a musical drama. Juniors Choir members also serve as acolytes (candle lighters) if they desire from the beginning of Lent through Pentecost. The Juniors Choir combined with the acolyte ministry helps to develop an appreciation for our worship ministry at ZBC in these youngsters that often continues throughout their youth and into adulthood.
Youth Choir and Handbells
The youth of our church, our 8th through 12th graders, are offered two music opportunities. The first is our Youth Handbell Choir, open to all youth of varying musical experiences and backgrounds. The Youth Handbell Choir rehearses in the fall, winter and early spring on Sunday evenings at 5:15. Their musical selections are shared in morning worship and at the special seasonal times of the year at Christmas and Easter.
The Youth Choir learns and presents choral music. Their rehearsals are also on Sunday evenings at 5:45. Our Youth Choir presents anthems in morning worship and during the holiday seasons of the year. They are featured in worship on Youth Sunday. They are often invited to sing at Christmas and/or Easter with the Sanctuary Choir in their musical presentations. A highlight of the Youth Choir is Segue, a youth choral festival of area churches in which the youth learn challenging and beautiful anthems that they present in a concert led by a guest director.
We encourage our youth and their friends to make participating in our youth music ministry a priority. We find that those youth who do participate in choir and/or handbells deepen their appreciation for our worship traditions and for the music of the church; an appreciation they often carry into adult life. Several members of our Sanctuary Choir are “alumni” of our graded music program here at Zebulon Baptist.
Sanctuary Choir
The Sanctuary Choir is open to adults of all ages who enjoy choral singing. The Sanctuary Choir has earned the appreciation of our congregation and the respect of choral directors in our area for their excellence in music. The Choir has been invited to perform in choral presentations at Meymandi Auditorium at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh and at Carnegie Hall in New York. The Sanctuary Choirs learns and presents the very best in Christian choral music being written and arranged by the finest choral composers of our day. Their anthems embrace a wide range of styles and also include older anthems that are beloved by the church. The choir works hard to present anthems in worship Sunday by Sunday. They also provide music for the special services of Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas, and Lent and Easter. The Sanctuary Choir presentations at Christmas and Easter are highlights of the season for both our congregation and for members of the community that enjoy these cantatas and musicals.
Members of the Sanctuary Choir enjoy excellent relationships with one another that are formed through the weekly rehearsals and worship presentations. Sanctuary Choir is a great place for making friends and deepening one’s spirituality through the presentations of beautiful choral music. Several Sanctuary Choir members also sing solos or participate in duets and ensembles in worship.
Rehearsals are on Wednesday evenings at 7:45. Reading music or having a soloist’s voice are not at all requirements for participating meaningfully in our Sanctuary Choir. There is a robe, a music folder, a chair in the music room and a place in the choir loft for you!
Adult Handbells and Orchestra
Our music ministry is enhanced by the playing of handbells in worship. Adults are invited to participate in the Adult Handbell Choir, which meets on Wednesdays at 6:30 from mid-August to mid-May. The choir learns various techniques for ringing bells and chimes and enjoys presenting their pieces for preludes and offertories in worship. Reading music is a plus for handbell ringing but is not required for participation in the choir.
Zebulon Baptist does not have an ongoing orchestra at this time. We do enlist small orchestras to accompany our Sanctuary Choir for their musicals and cantatas. Several of our choral anthems may also be written for accompaniment by a flute, clarinet, trumpet, or other instrument. We are also very open to instrumental presentations in worship. If you play a musical instrument and would like to be involved in our music ministry, please contact the Minister of Music and Senior Adults about opportunities for you to share with us in worship.
