Meet the new Methodist music director
He is a new Methodist minister of music in north Fort Smith.
Benjamin Henderson is a providing a bridge from past, traditional hymns, to his own style and song. He is also the new music director at Fort Smith United Methodist Church.
Henderson's introduction will be 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23 in the church sanctuary, with a concert.
October 23 at 4 p.m. in the church sanctuary, 200 N. 15th Street.
Henderson follows former music director Nancy Vernon on June 1, 2022.
"June 5 was my first Sunday there. And ever since I've received absolutely unbelievable support from everyone," Henderson said.
Vernon, who had been the music said, “We are unbelievably fortunate as a church and a community to have such a talented organist in our midst. Composers included in the concert are Bach, Vierne, Langlais, Duruflé, and an original work by Henderson.
On Sundays, Henderson plays organ solos in the prelude and the postlude. He talked about the parts of the service featuring his music.
"It's (prelude) a time for preparation as the service is beginning, and it allows the congregation to meditate while the music is playing, and prepare themselves," Henderson said. "And the postlude is the same thing allowing the end of the service to come to a culmination and feel as if a sending force is sending us out into the rest of the world as God wants just," Henderson said.
Henderson, 24, is a native of Middletown, Connecticut. He received his bachelor of music degree in organ from The Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York in 2020.
He said an important part of the modern service is the hymnody for the congregation.
"It is one of the big things I've pushed for having more attention drawn to it," Henderson said. "So, with the choir we have been working on ways to have the meters stay the same so that when you come into the service you feel you as if you know where you are supposed to come in with the hymn," Henderson said. "You feel like you know this hymn for the rest of your life, you've known it all this time but to having the choir prepared to sing it with such confidence the congregation can focus on the text and think about how that impacts the service."
He said people will continue to hear the traditional Methodist classics from Charles Wesley, and Baptist traditional songs.
"We are all over the map as far as hymnody and most of our anthems are either from hymn arrangements or four parts choirs, just kind of nice anthems," Henderson said.
As the Advent season nears, the Methodist calendar is in Kingdomtide in mid-October, songs in the service included George Frideric Handel's "With Cheerful Notes."
In 2022, he received his masters in organ performance at Rice University in the studio of Ken Cowan. He served as the Associate Organist at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas for two years.
“I am elated to share this organ concert with Fort Smith. The program will include some of my favorite music from my recent studies. I am so thankful for the unbelievable support I have received from the congregation and staff of First United Methodist and from the Fort Smith community. I am happy that I can give back by using my talents to help support our church’s mission trip to Guatemala.”
More:After COVID-19 delay, First United Methodist finally celebrates centennial
First United Methodist’s first sanctuary organ was delivered to the church on June 24, 1921.
A new pipe organ was built and installed in 1987 by Michael Quimby of Quimby Pipe Organs, Warrensburg, Missouri. Only one rank of pipes was retained from the original Skinner organ. The cost of the organ in 1987 was $195,000 and was completely paid for with memorial donations. The electropneumatic action organ has 2,530 pipes.
The concert Oct. 23, an hour of organ music, will be Henderson's introduction to Fort Smith. He has an original song in the mix he'll play. It is titled, "Softly Lay."
"It's a music outreach kind of concert kind of showing Fort Smith my arrival sort of, just kind of introducing me to the community so I can meet people and people can know about me being here," Henderson said
The October 23 concert is free. An offering will benefit the church’s Guatemala Mission Trip Fund. The church is located at 200 North 15th Street, Fort Smith, 72901.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: First United Methodist Church new music director show set
