It's been said before, but nothing quite compares to the fellowship enjoyed
within the ranks of The Salvation Army. And so it was proved again as
Birmingham Citadel Band visited Reading Central Corps to conduct the weekend
meetings. Friends, and in some cases relatives, came from far and wide to
hear the band and, from the feedback received, everyone seemed to enjoy the
varied programme.
But it wasn't just music that was presented. The judicious use of multimedia ensured that wherever there were words associated with the music, these were presented against an appropriate backdrop. Eric Ball's classic Triumph of Peace was featured with the inclusion of vivid pictures of the recent atrocities in America - sharp reminder that the world is far from peaceful. But the closing sequence of a dove ascending heavenward gave us all the reassurance that one day peace will be attained. Multimedia has been a feature of our ministry in recent years and has undoubtedly led to listeners becoming much more aware of the significance and relevance of our music.
A number of our soloists took part throughout the weekend: their pictures are shown below. All are worthy of individual recognition, but there were some lighter moments where the pictures need some explanation!!
Tim Farmer is one of our percussionists and regularly features the xylophone solo Helter Skelter. Following some friendly banter when the Bandmaster introduced the item, he decided to 'take his bat home' and leave the band 'leaderless' for the duration of the solo. Worse still, he then conjured up a flask of coffee which he shared with Major Edgar. Judging by the expression on the Major's face, the coffee wasn't quite to his liking!
Stephanie Lamplough required a 'prop' for her item. As she was to sing a love song, she needed someone to serenade - and so Major Edgar found himself centre-stage! Again, the facial expression says it all. It's worth explaining here that Major Edgar was the Commanding Officer at Birmingham Citadel until May 2001, so it was a calculated risk that he would enjoy the attention showered on him.
As well as individual soloists, we presented two octet items - one from the young ladies, and one from the young men. Another feature was the brass quartet, three trombones and one flugelhorn, playing I Will Follow Him.
The story for the children certainly caught everyone's attention. Bandsman Edward Dixon was given a swimming lesson - pity there was no water!! But that was the whole point - Edward could listen to the instructions read out to him from the instruction book and do what he was instructed, but would he be able to survive in water? A comparison was then made with people who read or listen to the Bible - life's great instruction book - it's no good simply understanding the instructions, you have to put them into practice.
Lest anyone should think that this type of visit is purely for the benefit of Salvationists and friends, we share with you here pictures of our outdoor ministry where we marched through Reading town centre and held an open-air service. The timbrelists are always a crowd stopper, but it was also very encouraging to see people stop and join in the singing of some well-known hymns.
We trust that the selection of pictures shown here will illustrate something of the depth of fellowship enjoyed over the weekend. To everyone who contributed to making the visit such a success, thank you.