FPCN Retires Old Piano

(above) Pastor Anette (at the piano) and Elder Ogbonna lead the congregation in a special litany to retire a piano in the sanctuary's basement.

(above) The upright piano that FPCN retired on Sun. Although the piano is intact, an appraiser concluded that the instrument's inside workings are beyond repair.

During the worship service on Sun. Apr. 24, Pastor Anette led a special litany to retire an old piano that is in the Chancel Choir's practice room in the sanctuary basement.

According to Chancel Choir members, the piano was brought in by former FPCN choir director Walter Janes sometime after he started in the early 1970s. It had been in use for several decades but has not been used in many years. (The choir currently rehearses in the sanctuary before and after services.)

The church had the old piano appraised but an expert determined that it could not be fixed or sold. As a result, FPCN's session decided to retire it after its many years of service.

Pastor Anette led a special litany from the sanctuary piano, accompanied by music that she composed herself for the occasion. Elder Ogbonna led the congregation in the spoken part.

The litany appears below:

The Retirement of a Piano
Service of Litany
Sunday, April 24, 2016

Leader: (music) The Lord be with you.People: And also with you.

Leader: Let us pray. (music) God, to your glory we pray.
People: To Your glory alone, O God, we pray.

Leader: (music) We give You thanks for the gift of music and for the beauty of an instrument once many years was presented to this congregation.
People: God, we give You our humble thanks, while embraced by the beauty of Your love, a gift that keeps on giving.

Leader: (music) God, whose love goes beyond description, we give You thanks for an instrument which no longer will be used for the purpose it was intended. We also give You thanks for the family whose loving generosity made this gift possible.
People: May the memories of the past inspire memories of the future in this holy place. Amen.