The Congregational Church of Brookfield is looking for our next Director of Music Ministries. This individual will lead the music ministries of the church, which includes accompanying congregational singing and leading vocal and handbell choirs for adults and children.
About our Music Program:
Our rich music program includes some 50 active participants who offer their gifts in an adult chancel choir, two children’s choirs, two bell choirs, and occasional special music solos or ensembles. Several adults participate in more than one choir. The full congregation shares in music during worship. Summer campfire singalongs and drum circles are also part of our legacy.
Our original Austin Organ, built in 1916, was rebuilt in 2008 by the Austin Organ Company. The rebuild included a new three manual console, as well as a new chest, additional pipes, and some Walker digital stops.
Our Meetinghouse piano is a Yamaha NU1 model, a hybrid digital piano with hammers in the action. It was purchased in 2015. There are also 3 other pianos in various spaces, and a Yamaha keyboard for outdoor worship.
We have a five-octave set of Schumerich handbells, a three-octave set of Malmark choir chimes, as well as six chimes from C2 – G2, Bb2 and B2. We also have a full set of Orff instruments, boomwhackers, djembe, congos and other percussion instruments.
Our choral library includes more than 1,300 pieces, and our bell anthem library has over 288 pieces, all organized in an Excel database.
The Successful Applicant should:
- Be a skilled musician, able to play organ and piano and direct vocal and handbell choirs
- Have knowledge of repertoire in vocal/handbell music literature
- Have facility in working with all age groups in multiple choirs
- Have knowledge of and sensibility to the Christian faith as it applies to all music used in the worship life of the Church
- Have good communication skills and interpersonal relationships
Responsibilities include:
- Providing organ and piano accompaniment for two Sunday morning worship services each week, and special services such as those during Holy Week and Christmas Eve. This includes receiving additional compensation for weddings and funerals, with the right of first refusal.
- Directing teen-adult Chancel Choir – leading around 20 singers in weekly Sunday services during the school year, conducting mid-week rehearsals and Sunday “warm up” sessions.
- Directing Alleluia (grades 3-7) and Cherub (K-grade 2) Choirs – leading choirs in worship on various Sundays during the school year (usually monthly) conducting mid-week rehearsals. There are currently around 10-12 children and youth involved, as the program is rebuilding from Covid.
- Directing Jubilate Ringers (advanced) and Glory Ringers (beginners) handbell choirs – leading Sunday participation (usually monthly) during the school year, conducting mid-week rehearsals.
- Supervising lay volunteers to assist in leading choirs.
- Collaborating with the pastors and the Worship and Music committees in planning music to complement the overall worship vision of the church. Attending staff and committee meetings as required.
- Actively recruiting new members for the various musical groups and being committed to developing supportive communities within choirs.
Schedule and Commitment Expectations include:
- The Director of Music Ministries is a part-time role that is expected to provide music for regular Sunday morning worship services and special worship services (i.e. Holy Week & Christmas Eve) throughout the year with the exception of approved vacation Sundays.
- The Director of Music Ministries is expected to plan and keep a schedule of rehearsals for all choirs throughout the months of September-June.
- The Director of Music Ministries is expected to attend staff and planning meetings as required.
- This position requires between 20-30 hours/week during the months of September-June and about 10-15 hours/week during the summer months. This includes personal practice time.
Compensation
Salary range is between $30,000 – $40,000 commensurate with experience and skill. The position includes paid time off, sick time, and professional development time. It reports to the Senior Pastor.
About the Congregational Church of Brookfield
The Congregational Church of Brookfield is an open and affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ, a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. Our congregation is made up of around 500 active members, many involved in volunteer and service roles, and a stable staff of six professionals.
The church was founded in 1757 and stands as an icon at the historic center of Brookfield. Brookfield is located in the rolling hills of Northern Fairfield County, just north of Danbury and south of New Milford; the town is bordered by lakes on both the east and west.
We offer two services each Sunday, 8:30 and 10:30, with our later service being live streamed and archived on YouTube. Our spaces are filled with activities and events throughout the week, be it Bible or book studies, small fellowship groups, choir practices or our vibrant thrift shop, to name a few. We share our space with many community organizations, such as Literacy Volunteers, AA, Red Cross Blood Drives, Boy Scouts, and summer camps.
We worship in an historic meetinghouse, with study, service and fellowship groups meeting on Zoom and in church classrooms and library, music room, and kitchens in our primary building. Our Outdoor Chapel nestled in the woods is a favorite respite for summer services and weddings, and our Memorial Garden provides a sacred space for the interment of ashes of those we have loved. Our 10-acre campus also includes an 1812 parsonage, now used as a Thrift Shop, and a colonial double-gambrel barn, an icon of our famous Yankee Fair and barn dances. Our little red Cottage is used for our Refugee Resettlement Ministry, and is now the home of a new Ukrainian family. We also have an outdoor labyrinth, a campfire circle, playing fields, and a Giving Garden, which provides hundreds of pounds of food each season to local food banks.
If interested, please send resume and letter of interest to office@uccb.org