Express appreciation

Thanks for the excellent article “Old instrument, new life” by Susan Goggins in The Alabama Baptist Oct. 16. It was informative, instructive and invigorating indeed. The insightful statement “it is difficult to make a living as an organist” got my attention. How true.

However, one fact was totally overlooked in the article. It is the negligence of most pastors and church members to express much-deserved appreciation for the hard-working organist.

One such case has to do with an organist who sacrificially, artistically and dedicatedly served as the only organist at the same church for nearly 30 years in south Alabama. Come rain or sunshine this wonderful and humble friend would leave her children and husband to faithfully practice and practice either alone or with the choir. Surprisingly enough the pastor of this medium-sized church was paid in one month more than the organist was paid for the entire year.

The straw that broke the camel’s back appeared in his New Year’s church letter. He praised every member of the sizeable staff and expressed hope for each for the next year but overlooked this extremely humble organist. When questioned about that negligence, his response was, “She’s not on the staff.”

The organist resigned. The expensive organ sits like a casket in a funeral home. But the worst was neither any recognition by the church or the pastor to celebrate the labor of nearly 30 years of commitment and service. Only a small party was given by the members of the choir. Consequently, we should not wonder why we cannot find organists these days.

Sam Schera
Sacramento, Calif.