Dear Friends,
First Congregational Church of Meredith (FCCM) has long been recognized as an iconic landmark within Meredith. Sitting majestically on Highland Street hill overlooking the Town with its spire and bell tower, it is visible for all to see for miles in multiple directions.
And just as FCCM has been a visible landmark, so has music been a vital part of the church for over 200 years. From the church’s earliest days in 1815, parishioners would sing hymns accompanied by hand-held, local instruments. In the 1860s, the church raised $1,200 to acquire its first pipe organ. In 1937, a church fire damaged the pipe organ, but it was rebuilt and used until the 1950s when the church acquired an Estey pipe organ. The Estey console served FCCM for over 60 years when it was finally retired in 2020. Our new Rodgers hybrid organ console greatly expands the Estey pipe organ’s overall capabilities. Blending historic pipes with this digital console has resulted in a truly revitalized and beautiful instrument. (Click on Organ Revitalization for more details on this).
Our new hybrid organ, with its unique attributes and enhanced range of voices, and its ability to bring forth the most robust of resonances to the sweetest of timbres, stirs your heart and soul to rejoice. To celebrate our newly revitalized organ and to share it and our beautiful church with the larger Lakes Region public, we are adding more focus on music in both weekly worship services and thru new scheduled musical events.
Beginning in July 2021 FCCM conducted a Bluegrass church service much to the delight of both congregation members and new friends in attendance. Pastor Peter Lovett’s vision is to make FCCM recognizable not only as an iconic visible Meredith landmark, but also as the Music Church on the Hill. As such, several additional musical performances were held during 2021 to introduce our new organ. For 2022, FCCM is introducing a more expansive Joyful Noise Music Series. And although COVID may delay our plans to conduct some events, we are committed to host musical performances / concerts in addition to our Sunday morning worship services as part of our community outreach. For more information, click on Make a Joyful Noise Music Events.
And just as FCCM has been a visible landmark, so has music been a vital part of the church for over 200 years. From the church’s earliest days in 1815, parishioners would sing hymns accompanied by hand-held, local instruments. In the 1860s, the church raised $1,200 to acquire its first pipe organ. In 1937, a church fire damaged the pipe organ, but it was rebuilt and used until the 1950s when the church acquired an Estey pipe organ. The Estey console served FCCM for over 60 years when it was finally retired in 2020. Our new Rodgers hybrid organ console greatly expands the Estey pipe organ’s overall capabilities. Blending historic pipes with this digital console has resulted in a truly revitalized and beautiful instrument. (Click on Organ Revitalization for more details on this).
Our new hybrid organ, with its unique attributes and enhanced range of voices, and its ability to bring forth the most robust of resonances to the sweetest of timbres, stirs your heart and soul to rejoice. To celebrate our newly revitalized organ and to share it and our beautiful church with the larger Lakes Region public, we are adding more focus on music in both weekly worship services and thru new scheduled musical events.
Beginning in July 2021 FCCM conducted a Bluegrass church service much to the delight of both congregation members and new friends in attendance. Pastor Peter Lovett’s vision is to make FCCM recognizable not only as an iconic visible Meredith landmark, but also as the Music Church on the Hill. As such, several additional musical performances were held during 2021 to introduce our new organ. For 2022, FCCM is introducing a more expansive Joyful Noise Music Series. And although COVID may delay our plans to conduct some events, we are committed to host musical performances / concerts in addition to our Sunday morning worship services as part of our community outreach. For more information, click on Make a Joyful Noise Music Events.
