As the sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows, the rich sounds of the St. John United Methodist Church choir flooded the Greene Street sanctuary on Aug. 24.
A few members brushed tears away of joy as they rehearsed Z. Randall Stroope’s “Come Dwell in Solomon’s Walls,” a song choir director Jamie Council Garvey had been waiting for months to bring to the congregation.
Almost 11 months ago as Hurricane Helene rampaged through Augusta, the storm peeled back the historic church’s roof, smashing bits of it into a ball and tossing it carelessly on the sidewalk. Water poured into the sanctuary, destroying the beloved Steinway grand piano, damaging the organ console and warping the floors. The organ’s pipes remained unscathed.
Sunday’s service was the first time the congregation had met in the sanctuary since its renovations were completed.
“It feels like we just returned home,” said the Rev. Jenny Anderson, St. John’s pastor, whose sermon included Jesus’s miracle of healing the woman who’d been bowed down for many years.
Like the woman in the Biblical account, choir members may have stood a little taller Sunday as they returned to their familiar spots to raise their voices in song.
Garvey seemed pleased with the fullness of the sound.
“There’s added sound coming from the balcony. We don’t have carpet there anymore,” she told the choir before the start of the service.
And as for the new Steinway from Germany, Garvey said playing the instrument was like “driving a BMW. It plays itself.”
By early September the organ console should be repaired and returned allowing Garvey to play the organ once again.
The church will celebrate the renovations at its Sept. 7 service. From 9:45 to 10:45 a.m., members of the hurricane restoration team will talk about the work and answer any questions.
The annual Concerts with a Cause kicks off its season Sept. 21 with five pianists in celebration of the new instrument.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards and received the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
