Plymouth Magazine-Fall26-DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 31
Fostering Connections through Music and Table
Plymouth continued to foster its
esteemed musical programs under the
directorship of Carol Stewart, who led
the choirs in the early 1970s and was
director of Music and Fine Arts from
1981 to 1994. Under Stewart’s leadership,
the Chancel Choir was widely acclaimed
and toured the country and performed
abroad. She organized the Fine Arts
Series, programs that showcased the
choirs alongside guest artists and
orchestral accompaniments. Stewart also
nurtured the children’s choirs, which
staged Christmas musical productions.
To encourage friendships and connections
in a big church, Rev. Alden Hebard,
Plymouth’s Minister of Membership
(1982—1994) spearheaded a churchwide effort called Nine-to-Dine, a
program that continues today. Interested
members submit their names and are
assigned to a group of nine or so diners.
Members take turns hosting dinner at
their homes or gathering in restaurants.
To ensure fellowship and new friendships,
Hebard took great effort to create a mix
of ages and professions. Friendships that
grow from those dinners can be lifelong.
The Matins Choir grew to more than 100
members, attracting youth from around
the metro. In 1984, Tom Janssen became
the first dedicated Matins director,
hired as Director of Youth Music and
Fellowship. As the choir numbers
swelled, the program was divided by age
groups, with a Junior Matins (grades
8 and 9) and Senior Matins (grades
10 through 12). Although the choirs
rehearsed separately, they regularly led
worship at the 9 a.m. Sunday service.
Shortly before he retired, Gilliom led
the church in adopting an Open and
Affirming Policy, welcoming gays and
lesbians as full participants in the life
of the church, making Plymouth one of
the first churches in the state to do so.
Adopted in 1993, the policy read in part:
“We affirm the right of all persons to
live freely and openly according to their
affectional orientation within the grace
of God’s love and the support of the
Christ’s Church.”
Rev. Gilliom and Rev. Alden Hebard
Beginning in 1991, the church, through
the Boards of Christian Social Action
and Trustees, administered the Earl M.
Willits Education Fund and held a series
of annual conferences at Plymouth on
Gay and Lesbian Christian Spirituality.
This was in accordance with a bequest
by Earl M. Willits, a former Plymouth
member and chair of the Board of
Trustees who was gay and died of
AIDS in 1990.
Upon retirement, Gilliom instituted
a unique transition wherein the next
minister, the Rev. David Ruhe, worked
jointly with him for several weeks.
This eliminated the traditional interim
minister and provided a smooth passage
of leadership and spiritual support.
An Open and Affirming celebration in 2003.
The Chancel and Matins Choirs with an instrumental ensemble.
Plymouth Magazine 31
