I saw an ad in the local paper – a nearby Presbyterian church was seeking a choir director, and we agreed this would be a good way to supplement our income. 

It was a rainy, blustery Ohio night making clear that winter was just around the corner.  I arrived at the church to find a small disparate group of people, a few of whom could actually sing, and the organist.  It was a dejected bunch.  The church’s pastor had left suddenly under a cloud taking the church secretary with him and half the congregation.  A regular supply pastor had yet to be appointed and so it was a guess each week as to who would show up to preach.  To make matters worse, the church had committed itself to an expensive building program a few years prior, and bills had to be paid.

And yet there was determination among the folks gathered to move ahead.  If leadership from the pulpit was missing, then why not let music be a vehicle for the church’s witness?  As I stood before those dear folks that night something happened.  Despite all the factors arguing against it, I sensed that this was where I was supposed to be.   I served John Knox Presbyterian Church for just a single year, but I can now say that that experience was truly the beginning of my career in church music.   (Of course, at the time I still had no idea what the future had in store.) 

Dr. Stan McDaniel