Lifting their voices for the holiday

Michele Marr

Jim Wright can’t imagine what life would be like if he were not in

the Central Baptist Church Choir.

Wright joined the choir 29 years ago when he came to teach at its

Liberty Christian School as a new graduate of Whittier College with a

bachelor’s degree in music and mathematics.

He directed the Liberty High School choir for seven years before

leaving to work for the Eaton Corporation. But Wright never left the

church choir. In December he will sing bass, including a solo, for

the 29th year in its Christmas cantata.

“The choir is like a family,” Wright said. “[We have a] genuine

love for each other. Plus, it is truly a ministry. Many people [have

been] drawn to the Lord through the choir.”

Suzi Carragher remembers listening to Wright’s rich voice while

she was still a toddler. Now Carragher has been a member of the choir

for 17 years. She was 16 years old when the choir’s director, Dan

Burch, invited her to join.

“I’m so glad he did,” said Carragher. “I can’t be just a

spectator. I really need to dive right in to get the most from

something. God knows that about me, so he gave me a job. Religion is

drudgery but a relationship with Christ is all kinds of wonderful.

[He] pushes you to do things you’d never try on your own.”

Carragher says she was so shy she would run from the table when

friends and family sang “Happy Birthday” to her at her parties. All

that changed when she accepted Christ when she was 13. “That shocks folks,” she said, acknowledging the difference.

She was nervous performing for her first Christmas concert but she

has only missed one in 17 years. That December she was in Boston with

the Huntington Beach High School Model United Nations at the Harvard

Conference.

For Carragher, the Central Baptist Choir, with its

multi-generational members whose ages span from 16 through the 70s,

is also very much like a family -- a good family.

Along with its family-like character, several other things lead

members to stick with choir. One is its overall musical talent.

Another is its spirit, which Wright describes as “a unique

combination [of] striving for excellence musically while realizing

that the [Gospel] message must be the number one thing.”

And there’s Dan Burch, who will celebrate his 20th year as the

Central Baptist Church Choir director in January.

“Danny is a rare individual who is a joy to work with,” said

Wright, who has worked with three choir directors in his 29 years

with the choir.

Burch teaches at Baptist Bible College West in Bellflower and is

an adjunct professor for Boston Baptist Bible College in Boston. He

came to Central Baptist Church in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in

music from Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College and a master’s in

music from Azusa Pacific University.

He and his wife, Venita, were hired as music teachers at the

church’s Liberty Christian School. Dan Burch, who still teaches the

school’s band program for fourth-grade beginners through high school

jazz band, became director of the church’s 50-voice choir and

20-member orchestra in 1984.

He describes the musicians as “weekend warriors” who “have a

passion for music.” Other than pianist Janice Bastin, who owns a

private piano-teaching studio, and Venita Burch, who also teaches

private piano lessons, none of the musicians is a professional.

But that doesn’t mean they aren’t very accomplished. The group has

been selected several times to participate in the Disney Candlelight

Procession, which it will take part in again this year on Dec. 6.

At a time when many schools are no longer training students to

read music or to sing in multiple harmony, Dan Burch feels fortunate

to have so many talented musicians who can sight read music very

well. “It doesn’t take long for us to learn a piece of music,” he

said.

On the evening of Dec. 14, the choir will perform its annual

Christmas cantata, this year called “Glad Tidings of Joy,” as they

always do, entirely from memory.

The concert will begin as it traditionally does, with the choir

standing on the floor surrounding the audience, their director in the

middle conducting, as they sing five a capella carols by candlelight.

Then they will move to the choir loft to be accompanied by the

orchestra. They will sing spirited and well-known traditional carols

like “Glad Tidings of Joy” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” along

with lesser-known carols like the Spanish “Sing Gloria,” and popular,

contemporary Christmas songs “No Eye Has Seen” and “You Are

Emmanuel,” by Michael W. Smith.

The audience will be invited to join in a medley of traditional

carols that will include “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Joy to the

World,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “The First Noel,” and “O Holy

Night.”

Woven through the music will be a narration of the Christmas story

paraphrased from Luke’s biblical account.

“Anyone who loves good choral music will definitely enjoy this.

This is not rinky-dink music,” Wright said.