Wesley United Church

"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness; come before his presence with singing."

~ Psalm 100

Wesley Senior Choir

Since the inception of Wesley United Church, the Senior Choir has played an integral role in Sunday worship, leading the congregation in hymn singing, canting the response to the psalm reading and presenting anthems each Sunday. To enhance the Ministry of Music, the Senior Choir is also invited to sing at ecumenical services and other special events. As a non-musical event, the Senior Choir supports the Fall Fair Committee by providing food for and serving the morning coffee for the Fall Fair.

The choir presents a variety of music to maintain interest among the singers and appreciation from the congregation. While the vocal training is classically based, the music ranges from light classical to contemporary. New anthems are always rehearsed for a minimum of four weeks before being presented in morning worship. This allows ample time for choir members to learn the music and present with confidence., and also gives ample opportunity for learning should a member have to miss a rehearsal.

The choir flourishes under the direction of our Organist, Chad Stride, and the choir is open to all who have a desire to sing. A knowledge of music is an asset, as the choir does sing in SATB harmony but a love of music and enthusiasm will always more than compensate for any lack of training. If you have a love of music and would like to join, or enquire about joining, please feel free to speak to Chad or any member of the choir or come along to our practice. We would welcome you voice and your presence with us.  



Our choir practices on Sunday mornings at 10:00 am. in the Chapel.

Wesley Male Choir

The Wesley Male Choir was the brainchild of Rev. Arthur Elliot and Gord Cousens as a result of their discussions regarding ways to improve the evening worship services. The choir started in October 1989 with sixteen singers and Gord as choir director/pianist and his brother Jim as organist. Since that time, the Wesley Male Choir has become well-known throughout Newfoundland for its lively music and the meaningful worship services they provide. Apart from the regular monthly evening service at Wesley United Church, the choir has been invited to participate at dozens of churches throughout the province and have shared their ministry of music as far away as Corner Brook. These invitations have come from many United Churches but also from other denominations - such as The Salvation Army, The Anglican Church and Pentecostal Assemblies.

The choir, itself, is also ecumenical in nature, with members from the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches, the Pentecostal Assemblies and The Salvation Army. The choir has a long-standing outreach with the seniors' homes in the city, having shared at The Glenbrook Lodge, The Agnes Pratt Home and Maplewood, to name just a few. They share in many various functions in the homes, especially at Christmas.

We presently have 30 singers enrolled as members of the choir, some of whom are original members of the choir. At one point, we numbered 52 male voices.

The whole purpose of the choir is to help spread the Gospel through music and to share in fun and fellowship and this, indeed, has been achieved. Recently, our choir was named as a beneficiary in the will of a former member of the choir. A portion of this money was used to create a plaque acknowledging all former (and our current) ministers of Wesley United Church. As well, the choir established a perpetual scholarship at the Memorial University of Newfoundland's School of Music. The presentation was made during our November evening service with members of our benefactor's family in attendance (and taking part) as well as the Director of the School of Music.

If you are interested in singing (no training is required) and would like to share with us, we would welcome the opportunity to welcome you. Feel free to speak to Gord, or Jim or call the church office for more information. 

Choir practice is normally held on Thursday evenings at 7:00 pm. in the sanctuary.

Wesley Women's Friendship Choir

The Wesley Women's Friendship Choir (or The Wesley Warblers, as Rev. Bill likes to refer to us) were formed in the winter of 2006. The choir was the brainchild of Hazel Snow who wanted to offer another form of fun and fellowship for the women of our congregation. The Choir is comprised of approximately 40 women of all ages and is open to any woman who would like come along and share in the fun. Under the leadership of Debra Sparkes-Mercer (choir director) and Judy Evans and Mildred Cousens (accompanists), the Women's Choir has shared their ministry of music at The Agnes Pratt Home and, along with the Male Choir, made their Wesley United Church debut on June 4, 2006 at the evening worship service. The Friendship Choir has also made a trips to Central United Church in Bay Roberts, Blaketown United Church, Green's Harbour United Church, Brigus United Church and Norman's Cove United Church, where they conducted the evening worship services. The choir has also sung at the Memorial Service at The Agnes Pratt Home, and the Glenn Brook Lodge Seniors' Residence.