We belive that music is an integral part of our worship of God. God has given music to us as a gift that we may use it to glorify him and to strengthen our bond as his people. In addition to the congregational hymn- and psalm singing that takes place in every service, there are other varied opportunities to serve the church through music.
Choir
The Covenant Choir serves the church every Sunday morning as an audible and visual aid to the congregation throughout the service. It also sings during the offertory for the majority of Sundays throughout the year, and sings for almost all of our special services (perhaps most notably our Christmas Eve service). The music is accessible for a variety of vocal abilities and choral experience, and the time commitment is relatively minimal. Rehearsals are Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 in the church sanctuary, and all are welcome to attend. (From Memorial Day to Labor Day we rehearse only once each month.)
Handbells
Our handbell ensemble is one of only a few still active in Fort Smith. Primary performances are during special times and services (such as Advent, Holy Week, and Christmas Eve), but there are also a few times during the year when the ensemble plays as well. No previous handbell experience is requried to play, but an ability to read music is strongly encouraged. While they don't rehearse every Wednesday throughout the year, rehearsals will usually begin roughly six to eight weeks before a performance, depending on the difficulty of the music. They begin at 7:15 p.m. If you are interested in joining, contact Brandon Bolin at the church office.
Instrumental Music
We love to utilize musical instruments of all types within our service, whether during congregational singing, to help accompany the choir, or for solos or small ensembles for the occasional offertory. If you have experience playing a musical instrument and would like to use your talents during a worship service, contact Brandon at the church office.
Congregational Music
The music at Covenant primarily consists of hymns that cover the larger span of Christian history (from the earliest centuries of the church, the Reformation era, and through the 20th century) as found in the Trinity Hymnal (1990 edition). We also believe in the importance of singing from the book of Psalms, so almost every service will include at least one of either a hymn that is based on a psalm or else a selection from one of several psalters in the church's music library. The majority of the hymns and songs sung on a Sunday morning are accompanied by either organ or piano; however, we also sing music being written for the church today that is grounded in Scripture, theological truth, and musical excellence. The songs of Indelible Grace, Sandra McCracken, and the Gettys are examples, and are usually accompanied by piano and occasionally guitar and violin.