Ministries: Music
“To Worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, and to devote the will to the purpose of God.” -William Temple
At Hampton Falls First Baptist, our goal in corporate worship is to present the God of the Bible with all His majesty, all His attributes, all His holiness, and all His grace, in order that our hearts might be led in awe to brokenness, repentance, obedience, and satisfaction in all that God is and has provided for His people.
The music that we share, on Sunday mornings and at other church gatherings, reflects this outlook. We delight in inviting the Lord’s presence to be with us as we share in hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs. We acknowledge that God is the only audience of our worship; He gives us the gifts to make music together first, and we present those gifts as a testimony to His amazing grace.
Our vibrant music ministry would not exist without the hard work, dedication, and support of the church body. If you are a church member, please be in prayer for our ministry, and consider the ways in which you can support our efforts. If you are considering church membership, please contact a musician or church staff member for more information on the many opportunities for musical involvement in our congregation.
You’ll find more information on our church’s worship philosophy at the link above. Also, please peruse the short descriptions of our musical ensembles here at First Baptist. We’d love to have you involved! Finally, we offer a few sound samples from our ensembles as an offering and ministry to you, website visitor. Soli Deo Gloria!
Matthew Haynes
Music Director
Our Music Philosophy
When we sing as a congregation, read from Scripture together, or participate in responsive reading, we recognize that important truths are being spoken, both to our Lord and to each other. We want to be in touch with these important words that we use during worship. Therefore, you will frequently see texts printed in your weekly bulletin for your meditation and participation. We hope that you’ll feel able to participate in worship, even when you might not be singing or reading. When things are unclear, the church staff will help by introducing or explaining the purposes of a particular activity.
We recognize that the experience of worship is ultimately the result of the work of the Holy Spirit in a person’s heart. We encourage our congregation, both members and visitors, to prepare themselves by opening their minds and hearts to the act of worship, which revolves not around our wants and desires, but around our holy and eternal God.
Therefore, we offer our gifts and our devotion to the Creator through a variety of musical styles. Ancient, traditional, folk, non-Western, and modern musics are all potential vehicles for Scriptural truth, whether in the form of conviction, blessing, comfort, unification, or pure praise. The truth of God’s grace, Christ’s atoning work, and the ongoing power of the Holy Spirit is spoken in so many ways. We seek to recount the story of salvation each week by incorporating different styles rather than segregating them. Worship leaders are given the freedom to use their talents, creativity and spiritual gifts to lead the church body into worship. Of course, with that freedom comes the responsibility to humbly assist people in worship, not distract from it.
We pray, both that you will always be ministered to by the music you hear, and that you will also find ways to praise God through our music.
Participation
Here are some of the many ways that our church members contribute to worship through music at HFFBC. Please prayerfully consider how you can offer your gifts and abilities as service to God at our church home! You may contact a music staff member directly, or ask around at church for more information.
Sanctuary Choir:
Meets Sunday evenings, 5 to 6:45 p.m., and sings on Sunday morning in both the 9:15 and 11:00 a.m. services.
We assist the congregation on group hymns and songs, and provide meaningful musical expressions that support the words of our corporate worship. All voices are welcome - no prior experience required. Come learn more about choral singing, while enjoying wonderful fellowship and taking a vital leadership role in worship! Contact Music Director, Matthew Haynes, at (603) 926-3724 x208, for more details.
GraceNotes Handbell Choir:
Meets Tuesday evenings from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m.
This group enriches our Sunday worship very often throughout the year, through ensemble pieces and assistance on many hymns. While working hard for Sundays, this group still makes time for lots of fun – traveling to conferences and, most recently, playing the National Anthem at a Manchester FisherCats game! If anyone is interested in learning more about bell choir or would like to sit in on a bell rehearsal, please feel free to contact Ellen Pond, director, at 926-3724 x208.
Worship Ensembles:
Do you play an instrument? More than one, even? Come share your talents with others, help lead in worship services or in other essential ministry events, and join with the Choir for larger-scale pieces. All are welcome; Sunday morning participants are on a rotating schedule, so the time commitment is low and flexible. Strings (guitars included), woodwinds, brass, percussion, keyboard, or whatever else you might play, are all appreciated. Let us know! Contact Matthew Haynes (see above) for more details.
Children’s Choir:
All children in grades 1 through 6 are invited to join us on Wednesday evenings before Avodah, from 6:00 to 6:45 PM. Each of us has a voice to praise our Creator, and in our weekly rehearsals, children will learn about the meaning of worship and their role in it. Through songs, movement, and games we will learn more about our voices, making music, and singing as a choir, all in the process of preparing pieces to share in worship throughout the school year. Share with us in learning more about God and ourselves through the gift of music! Please contact Holly Fraser, director, at 926-3724 x208 for more details.