Songsters At Shirley Methodist Church Gerald Harding
It was on a rather chilly Saturday evening in January that the members of the Songster Brigade made their way to Shirley Methodist Church.  However, there was certainly no lack of warmth in the welcome we received.  Our old friend Derek Harrison (formerly a soldier at Birmingham Citadel and now attending the Shirley Methodist) greeted us.  The church is situated in the Shirley shopping centre.  The congregation must be grateful For the Beauty of their suite of buildings, which gives wonderful opportunities to Reach Out to the local community.  Their coffee shop has over 1,000 visitors per week.
In recent years, the style of presentation by the Songsters has altered considerably.  We no longer just stand in straight lines, but also in small mixed groups and other formations.  There is even movement and change of positions in the middle of some songs.  For instance, in Swingin' with the Saints, the men kneel down for part of the song.  Some people find it less easy to do than others (don't they Stuart?!?), while some can't remember their right from their left (yours truly!).  Generally speaking we are now used to it and it works well.  It is important these days not only to get the sound right, but also the visual presentation.  To make the message relevant for today it must be presented in more informal style, although it is still the same message.  We still Sing for Joy because of God's Amazing Grace, whilst still proclaiming The Majesty and Glory of God.  Credit must go to Gloria for having the vision and also the courage to try something new.
The songs we sing are a good mixture of 'praise' songs (eg He is Exalted, Let there be Praise) and more reflective ones (eg Shine on Us, Majesty and Glory of your Name, Part the Waters and Shepherd of my Heart).  I find these songs to be very moving because they strike such a personal note within my own heart.  One other song I could mention is Psalm of Thanks which has a distinctly Jewish style.  The congregation really liked this, particularly Derek who applauded 'with enthusiasm'.
The programme finished with Revival in the Land - a song to which we can all 'let our hair down' and George Dickens does that to great effect.