The Arts at First are a different and inviting way to help people enter into Scripture and encounter God during worship.
MUSIC
Music is an integral part of the worship service and the community at First Christian Church Minneapolis. With members and visitors as choir members, handbell players, instrumentalists, vocal soloists, or just music enthusiasts, we believe our music is not only a joyful expression of worship, but another way to illuminate the scriptures we hear and the values we uphold.
Our Sanctuary Choir sings traditional and contemporary selections on a seasonal basis. Each of the choir’s four sections is led by a professional vocalist; at least one of these chooses a solo to sing during the service. For special occasions, we often invite guest singers or instrumentalists to add to the worship.
We are a welcoming congregation, meeting you wherever you are in your walk and your faith. Illustrative of this is the variety of music to be heard each week. From traditional hymns to gospel, harp to drums, Baroque keyboard works to marimba solos, music at First is an enthusiastic endeavor thriving on the differences and connections in our community. Come join us!
Choir: rehearses 9:15 am Sunday mornings, seasonally. All voices are welcome – for more information or to join us, please contact our Director of Music, Dr. Caroline Povolny.
Special Music: there are many opportunities for special music during worship. Please contact our Director of Music, Dr. Caroline Povolny.
Handbell Choir: currently on hiatus, will be returning in the future. For more information, please contact our pianist, Tim O’Grady.
NARRATIVE PLAYERS
This group helps bring the Narrative Lectionary to life during various seasons of the church year through acting out of the scripture text (no memorization required). All ages are welcome! For more information, contact Deb Murphy, Director of Spiritual Formation for Children and Youth.
VISUAL AND SPOKEN ARTS
First Christian Church uses Worship Design Studio as the basis for its various worship series throughout the year. Each series has visual art opportunities encased within the theme, and Deb Murphy, Director of Spiritual Formation for Children and Youth, and Anna Bliss select a variety of artwork to help bring the scripture alive. We have a rich history of visual and spoken arts being an integral part of our worship. Some previous examples:
–2017 Art Medium: Poetry. A variety of poetry was used in the service. For Good Friday and Advent, award-winning local poet Anders Carlson-Wee shared many of his own poems with us, as well as poetry from local, state and national poets. Here are readings from our Advent services:
The Poetry of Advent, December 2, 2018
The Poetry of Advent, December 9. 2018
The Poetry of Advent, December 23, 2018
Christmas Eve 10 pm Service
On the first Sunday of Advent, the congregation was asked to write down on post-it notes what the Advent season meant to them. Anna Bliss, a member of the congregation, used every word written to create a Advent poem that was presented by the children to Anders during the December 23rd worship service. Read more
-2016 Art Medium: Fabric. New and innovative ways to use fabric in worship and in each sanctuary added a beautiful touch on Sundays and special services. For Advent, Deb made a new banner:
-2015 Art Medium: Visual Art. Art included The Art of Easter and Lent series with our guest artist Ta-Coumba Aiken; and The Art of Advent & Christmas.