Three Church Concerts

The Bellshill Salvation Army Band (Bandmaster Ian Dickie) gave concerts at three local churches in March 2007.

5 March – Baillieston Evangelical Church

Marking the first visit of the Bellshill band to this church, the band opened the concert in the “Hope Hall” with Let There Be Praise. The hall was full, with extra chairs brought in to accomodate the large audience.

In addition to the music, there were some special guests, including Margaret Curran, the local Member of the Scottish Parliament, who spoke about partnerships between the community and the church. The featured speaker for the evening was John Spiers, from the GLO Center in Motherwell, whose subject was the Founder of the Salvation Army, William Booth.

29 advance orders for the Bellshill band’s forthcoming recording, Musical Aspects, were taken.

12 March – Stonehouse at St. Ninians

One week after the concert at Baillieston, the Bellshill band traveled to the Stonehouse at St Ninians Church, where another capacity audience of over 200 waited. Despite a somewhat cramped formation because of the small space in the venue, the band played well. The four soloists from the Musical Aspects recording, Yvonne Ferguson, Gemma Gunn, Lynn Shanks and Olwyn Mathie were featured.

A special effort was made by Donald Perry, who had to work through some challenges in getting the multimedia presentations to function on the church’s systems. 30 advance orders for Musical Aspects were taken.

17 March – West Baptist Church, Dumferline

The Bellshill Salvation Army band was invited to perform at the West Baptist Church in Dumferline on Saturday, 17 March. The evening began with another challenge for Donald Perry and his wife, Hazel Perry. When the band’s coach arrived at the church, it was noticed that the Perrys, who had driven in their own vehicle, were not there. They had broken down on the highway and had to wait for the AA to come to their rescue. Donald still managed to get the multimedia presentation ready for the 7:30 program start.

Again, the church was full to capacity. The concert was a benefit for MS (Alzheimer’s) and breast cancer charities. Band personnel and supporters generously contributed £5 each to the charities. Major contributions were also made by Lady Elgin, who presented two checks for £1,000 each. In total, the event raised more than £2,500.

The band was in good form for the evening. Several items included on the new recording were featured in a varied program designed with the church audience in mind. 40 advance orders for Musical Aspects were taken.

The bandmaster also welcomed two members to the band, Charlene Gibbons and Laura Mitchell, who were playing their first engagement with the senior music sections.