Retired Chaplain Playing Piano

SLI Retired Chaplain and First Methodist Retired Pastor Greg Franklin has agreed to perform on the baby grand piano at the United Methodist Church in Perry. He began this morning and will continue for a 3-month period which is the same time that regular pianist, Michelle Rechberger Klein, will be in Florida. This will include a few weeks during Epiphany, all of Lent, and Easter services. 

During next Sunday's celebration of Holy Communion, Greg will perform a composition of his own. Originally titled "Spiritual Tranquility," it was written last Fall and to date has yet to be publicly performed. His agreement to play accompaniment duets with the Rev. Joanne Brocklehurst, substitute organist, for both congregational singing and occasional solo performances. Joanne has been performing on the organ since regular organist, Martha Button, was dealing with the illness and now loss of her husband, Merville, who died January 13, 2019.

Joanne has also been serving as Choir Director and Bell Choir Directtor since the regular director had to discontinue for family and personal reasons. Greg had actually not been playing any keyboard since the two-hour concert performance with Frederick Schuknecht at the Epworth Hall Chicken Barbecue Fund Raiser July 9, 2017. "I guess the best opportunities happen for me in the odd years," said Greg about his love of performing music. "I look forward to these next 12 weeks in spite of what Mother Nature might, or might not, do for us, or to us, for the remaining winter weeks--and may it pass gently," Greg said.