AV Geeks Lunch 12-6-2022

foreign hi everybody I'm skip Alzheimer welcome to the AV Geeks lunchtime streaming show where we watch old 16 millimeter films and then we talk about them um I'm obviously not it the archive today I am elsewhere and um so this is a pre-recorded show and what we just saw was um some 16 millimeter footage of the Protestant churches of Pittsburgh someone who went around and documented all of the uh the Protestant churches in Pittsburgh I don't know what the purpose was this came from the Oregon archive the reason why I'm showing this is because I'm in Pittsburgh and so um you know I thought well I might as well show this and I'm not gonna repeat the tour that it was in this film that we just saw uh but I definitely will mention it to some people in Pittsburgh some archivist people that I'm talking to because it is an odd odd thing um so uh we got some films lined up that are about church and uh some of these I've shown before but they're they're pretty great uh and short so this next one is uh part of a series of films that I showed for kind of how to like how to do different things and this one is how to be a church Usher and I'm guessing the reason behind that this was filmed was made is for big churches where they had to explain to men who were assigned uh to be ushers for the congregation this was a quick and easy way to show uh and and repeat the same information over and over again about how ushers are supposed to do what they do I think when I was in church when I was in high school I was an usher at least once maybe twice um so I didn't see a film but uh here is the church Usher enjoy whenever people Gather in churches there's a need for dignity and quiet that is conducive to worship but occasionally things happen something goes wrong when this happens it calls for prompt action from one train to meet such situations the church Usher foreign [Music] spiritual leader and preacher has the most important role in the worship life of the church he must direct the several activities of the service and create an atmosphere which will help the people achieve a spirit of worship in most churches the minister is assisted by ushers as door Keepers in the house of the Lord and assistance to the minister they have an important function to perform too but without careful planning and preparation the ushers can fail to be an asset to the minister and the service of worship he is directing they can even create more disturbance than order they may even become a disturbing element in the service the whole thing as the way ushers are dressed can create an atmosphere of Harmony and Order but if each one is clothed differently the impression is one of confusion and disharmony well let's go back to the beginning and see how this should be done [Music] often the Astro provides that all important first impression to the arriving people his appearance is important what the ushers wear may be a matter of decision made by the ushers and the minister in some informal congregations it may be proper for ushers to be coatless in the summer in others the proper motive rest may be similar colored suits or even formal coats and ties so long as the apparel fits in with the manor address of the congregation and the dress of all the ushers is similar good taste can be the Criterion uniformity of dress can also be a means of identification another means of identification is the small lapel flower one of the ushers should be selected as the head Usher he may be selected by the minister the worship committee official board or Board of Deacons he holds a position of trust and importance and should be a person of mature judgment with talent for leadership it is his job to see that there are enough ushers on hand at every service to assign the ushers their individual stations to work out the procedures for directing special services and to instruct the other ushers in their duties an important part of the Usher's duties is seeding the persons as they arrive as persons come the ushers should find out how many are in the party that are to be seated together he will ask them to follow him down the aisle to a place he is selected the Usher will stop by the Pew in front of the one the people are to enter and turn to face them as the people enter the Pew and not before the Usher should give them a bulletin he should wait until they are comfortably seated before returning to the north X for the next group if the people indicate that they would prefer a seat other than the one the Usher has selected the Usher should allow them to set wherever they like always there are those who arrive after the service begins to avoid disturbing the service the ushers should suggest that these wait in the narthex for a few moments the Usher may be guided by instructions in the church bulletin indicating when later Rivals may be seated if possible seats should be saved at the rear of the church so that latecomers can be seated without disturbing the congregation or embarrassing the late arrivers it is helpful if the Usher can give them a Hymnal open to the proper place so that they can join in the surface immediately as the service continues those ushers stationed near the rear should remain at their stations they should look after the physical comfort and well-being of the congregation as inconspicuously as possible if a person becomes ill during the service the quick and quiet action of an usher is needed to avoid disturbing the congregation or embarrassing the sick person and Usher should stay with the sick person until it can be determined what should be done in some cases it may be necessary to telephone for a doctor or an ambulance in some Churches an agreement is reached with a physician in the congregation that he may be called out of the sanctuary if needed [Music] the actions of the ushers can emphasize that the offering is a solemn act of worship the ushers should not do anything that will call attention to themselves the keynote here is dignity and poise normally each Usher will receive one plate and will proceed to an assigned aisle and begin passing the plate along the row of worshipers his partner at the other end of the Pew will pass his plate down the next row each Usher will remain at the end of the Pew where his plate is being passed until it reaches the opposite end he will then move to the next row to receive the plate that has arrived there he will then skip one row and start passing the plate he is received down the next few [Music] if the Pew is not filled with people so that the plate can be passed easily along the Pew the Usher May simply offer the plate to those near the end of his aisle and go on to the next few quick Holy Communion is received at the front altar the head Usher must work out some plan for moving the people easily to the front and then back to the seats he will need to know how many persons the altar can accommodate at a time he will want to designate certain aisles for persons to come forward and others for their return to their seats [Music] he will want to assign ushers at strategic points to direct persons in these paths other ushers will stand at the ends of the pews they will indicate to the persons in the pews when they are to come forward when as many persons as can be accommodated have been invited the Usher will stand at the end of the empty Pew to indicate to the others that they are to wait in churches where communion is received in the pews the church Elders or deacons may serve communion or the ushers may be designated to do it it will be handled similarly to passing plates for the offering as the service ends the ushers assist the pastor in representing the welcome Spirit of the church they are particularly attentive to visitors giving them a cordial invitation to come again or perhaps asking them to fill out a visitor's card for the pastor's information they are alert for those who need special help all in all it is a wonderful opportunity to be a vital part of the worship of the Church community a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord the church Usher [Music] it was it was just barely animated just barely um anyways uh this next film is interesting because this is also part of a series uh and it is um your life's work and so we've seen different films um from this series about different types of things like restaurant work or um insurance work or accounting or bookkeeping or um you know a variety of different things and these are Church vocations so this is to uh all the different vocations um associated with churches not only just the clergy but also then all the Administration staff and all that stuff and so these films were shown um to people that were in vocational school in high school and in college trade school um and uh you know it's it's trying to get people to realize what it takes to be in these different uh positions so here is church vocations enjoy your life worked foreign [Music] against the sky I do not know exactly why if you should ask but I should tell It just fits there on top so well it lifts you up if you will let it eat Sunday if you'll not forget it to that which shifts your soul and high I like a Spire against the sky in every city town and Village there stands the church ready to serve the community how well it serves depends upon the minister and the program he develops for the members of his Parish to provide this leadership the minister and his aides must have specialized training the work of the minister may be divided into several parts the preparation and delivery of sermon when a minister leads in Christian worship devoutly and skillfully he brings that ancient word be still and know that I am God the educational and recreational program as teacher of Christianity the minister can make the difference between sound and unsound character for hundreds the counseling of parishioners ministers have no greater privilege than helping people with personal problems evangelism in cities or in the tropics or in the Hinterlands of America it isn't that buildings that bear the Christian message it's men of power and vision the special services such as marriages baptisms and funerals the minister leads a constant procession of people into Christian experience finally the management of the church's business as the religious leader of his church the minister must be able to deliver his sermons in a clear fluent and distinctive manner his thinking must be logical and Broad in order to inspire enrich and Enlighten his congregation as an educational and recreational leader in his church the minister has need of the highest qualities of leadership he must first be alert to the needs of his Parish then he must be able to plan effective programs to meet them and be able to enlist the cooperation of his leg groups in carrying out these programs this includes the selection and training of the best leaders among the men and women the boys and girls of his congregation as a consular the minister must be ever available to his church people he calls upon the sick and troubled and welcomes The Stranger he is attentive to the personal needs of his people the minister must be ready and willing at all times with dignity and sincerity to perform the solemn and sacred rites of marriage baptism and burial both in happiness and sorrow everyone feels the need of God and asks the service of the one who ministers in his name and finally as a businessman the minister must understand and direct intelligently the handling of church funds he may have help from a board or special committee but the responsibility for getting things done usually rests with the minister this is true of routine matters such as supervising the maintenance of building and grounds as well as of Special Projects such as building a new church or adding to the present one in many denominations there are higher administrative posts to which young ministers May aspire such Church officials provide advice and guidance for local ministers and religious leaders the minister of service does not end with the activities which he conducts personally Church schools for example are usually conducted by volunteers from the church membership but it is The Minister's job to select these people who will help him guide the religious development of young and old such work requires initiative and originality to handle satisfactorily the many problems involved since music is recognized as an Inseparable part of all religion choir is an important group within the church organization there are several schools now in operation which offer special courses in choir music a very important part of all Church work is the youth program both religious and recreational it is designed to prepare young men and women for leadership as adults in the activities of the church and community as such it must contribute to their well-rounded development the adult work in the church includes study groups for men as well as women to acquaint the members with the work of the church both at home and abroad men and women and sometimes the whole family participate in Social meetings of the church which are designed to promote fellowship and understanding some of the larger churches engage in Social Service through well-organized welfare programs these are usually located in the poorer sections of the cities and include religious educational recreational and health activities the minister must work closely with the director of these activities who are specially trained for their jobs and usually are assisted by a staff of volunteer workers even the small churches have needy people and must engage in similar activities the whole missionary field reaches out to the underprivileged all over the nation regardless of race or color workers in this field are mostly trained laymen who are able to render all types of religious and Educational Services foreign missionaries often obtain workers from among the natives giving them whatever training is needed for their special assignments the churches often send laymen with specialized training in teaching medicine and agriculture to organize special programs in the Foreign Fields another field of religious work is the summer camp where the program for junior high and high school people as well as a week for the family a camp promotes the religious and Social Development for all the family in a small Church the minister usually must perform All His official duties himself in larger churches where the program is large and varied the minister may have one or more assistance who are assigned to direct certain activities and to help with routine office work and counseling the ministry as all other professions requires intelligence and good health but more than this it requires a man with devout and sincere temperament whose life is an expression of his religion he must be happy in helping others for that will be his greatest reward he must like people and possess leadership qualities in preparing for the ministry one should secure a broad college education before entering into professional training causes and recognized theological schools usually run three to four years in length each religious faith of course determines its own plan of training it is certainly true that a career in the ministry presents an abundance of opportunities for worthwhile services for their large or small the church is the Hub around which all religious activities revolve the early history of our North American continent is studded with the names of church leaders who opened the Frontiers and made way for civilization many of our largest and finest educational institutions owed their existence to ministers among others Reverend John Harvard gave his library to found Harvard University George Whitfield and early minister is given credit for founding the University of Pennsylvania ministers down Through the Ages have contributed richly to the field of literature Rabbi Joshua liebman's peace of mind has brought help to innumerable people and Reverend Lloyd Douglas novels have been read by millions ministers are prominent in public affairs of all kinds the minister has called upon for the invocation practically all public functions including the inauguration of our highest executives are marked by dedicatory Prayer by a representative of a church but probably a Ministry is most effective when at Communion before a high altar or before a simple altar with only the simplest elements in his hands he is able to introduce his people to their closest experience with the Living God the satisfaction is no less when such moments occur with one small boy during a quiet walk on a country road the Spire that stands against the sky but only have light in the windows beneath it as a continuing stream of candidates shall choose to serve the church this may be your life work [Music] [Music] yeah pretty great I uh I like these films because they definitely show us a certain time in different certain place and you know some of these positions no longer exist but um or they've been expanded um or you don't make money doing these things this is just something you do but you volunteer so um all right the next film we're gonna watch is uh because we we showed the last two films uh and you've you've you've seen this before in the past potentially but this next film I have not shown and this one is I got this on eBay with a bunch it was two or three of these films um and it must have been someone who sold organs because this one is specifically for churches and specifically to sell an organ to a church and so um this one's called music for our church and uh it's pretty great um you know it is it's got this sales pitch um it's it's pretty brilliant in that regard so here enjoy music for our church [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] music certainly is part of the soul of the church I can feel it now and you can see it on the faces here the time we spent searching and investigating was worthwhile I thought I had a big responsibility when the pastor asked me to head the committee to buy this organ after all I'm a businessman not a musician but I was certainly lucky with the committee I got our church organist Alice Berry was on the committee and the third member was Fred Thompson he's a real leader in our church Sunday school superintendent and choir director and head of all our youth activities we got right down to business the first night we met at my house so of course I'm delighted to have your help it's an important decision we have to make we all know the church needs a new organ but the question is what kind and what make should we recommend I'm sure we all have some specific requirements in mind so let's talk about them what are your ideas Mrs Barry well my first consideration of course is how the organ will sound in our church that means we want an organ that will be acceptable in every way for use in church how do you mean that Mrs Barry well church music should inspire a congregation to be rich full of meaning it well it should be capable of interpreting the meaning of our hymns should be a church organ I see so do I Jim but I think Mrs Berry will agree that a church organ must be useful in other ways too what do you mean by that Fred well just this in addition to the music for the regular church services I'd like to see us get an organ that the young people will use too in their activities Sunday school yes Sunday school all the young people's programs which are very important you've got a very good point there Fred now let me tell you some of the things I'm thinking about first I look at this as an investment just as in business I want to be certain that we get the very best value and the very best quality and I want to be sure that we won't be burdened with heavy maintenance and service costs month after month for years to come that's right Jim those are important points yes they are Fred and I want to be 100 certain that I'm dealing with a manufacturer with a fine reputation one whose experience is outstanding those are the points I'm going to check into you know more about those things than I do what I really want is an organ that's right for church I'm looking for versatility an organ that many people old and young can enjoy and I'll play the hard-hearted businessman to be sure that the organ you both want will be the best possible investment for the church after that meeting all three of us worked independently each of us trying to find the one organ that would satisfy our particular requirements best when we had made up our minds independently we met again at my house to report and make our separate recommendations well uh Ms Barry let's hear your report first what organ do you recommend goodness me first all right I'm convinced that I found an organ that will meet all my wishes for an instrument that will sound right be right for the music in our church I recommend that we buy a Hammond organ well that's great Mrs Berry because Hammond is my choice too how about you Mr Gray how about you well now this is interesting because the Hammond Organ gets my recommendation too there's no disagreement no no no let's not get carried away I think we owe it to the congregation to check the reasons behind our unanimous decision you first Mrs Barry well my recommendation is based on my experience as a musician I thought my first step would be to find what other churches are using and how satisfied they are and you found that over 35 000 churches of all sizes and denominations have installed ham and organs thirty-five thousand that is important what else black card on the best organists in town and for quite a few miles around and well I got my most valuable information from Alan Temple you mean the organist at the Parkside Church yes I plucked up my nerve and went to see him well he's certainly the best organist in this part of the country what did he tell you he was most helpful of course I'll be glad to tell you why we chose a Hammond for this church thank you Mr Temple Temple I hate to take up your time but our committee has a big responsibility to the congregation yes I know and as organists we have an important responsibility to the tradition of church music too our music must convey the same Universal message of Love and Hope and Redemption that the words of our hymns and prayers do that's why this organ is so rewarding of course I know your reputation as an organist Mr Temple well thank you Mrs Berry of course you know I'm only one musician many world famous organists composers and conductors play and praise the Hammond find symphony orchestras use it of course anyone with an ear for a beautiful Rich tone appreciates the Hammond too there's just one question though oh what's that well do you think I'll be able to able to handle the Hammond step her out here and I'll show you now as you know church music calls for traditional organ tones here I have 18 preset Keys each one of them gives me one of those traditional tones listen [Music] that's a familiar tone isn't it here's another [Music] here's another [Music] it seems quite simple it's Simplicity itself listen again a full organ tone [Music] now those are only four of the familiar traditional tones your congregation will want all together you have 18 tones available simply by pressing one of these presets actually they'll give you all the basic organ tones you'll need for most of your liturgical music but to an organist the most valuable feature of a Hammond organ is its unique system of drawbar registration with just these few drawbars it's possible to create quickly and easily thousands of beautiful full Rich organ tones of your own choosing really how simply by applying the fundamental principles of all music as you know tones are made up of harmonics just as words are made up of letters on a typewriter we can make any word we want simply by combining the various letters of the alphabet on the Hammond Organ we have nine harmonic drawbars that constitute a musical alphabet by arranging the drawbars in different positions we actually spell tones with harmonics like you spell words with letters we could very easily call this system a tone typewriter is it hard to learn not at all look you know there are only four basic families of organ tones flutes Reeds strings and diet patients or Foundation tones let's set the drawbars for a nice flute tone there and here's what it sounds like [Laughter] that's very much like the tone on these preset keys right that's a fundamental flute tone but the remarkable part of the drawbar system is that I can get hundreds of variations of those four basic tones just by arranging the drawbars let's make our flute tone a little brighter by adding this drawbar there [Music] oh I like that better how about this here's another flute tone that's beautiful how many of those tones can you get different flute tones I mean I have no idea thousands you see even the smallest adjustment of the drawbars changes the tone slightly so I don't suppose I've ever used all the tones it's possible to get from this flexible system of drawbar registration amazing with that system just only one tone I could adjust it to the music that's right but what about the other three basic families strings for instance here's a lovely string tone [Music] and here's a read tone with our flu to company [Music] and finally here's the most familiar of organ tones a diapason [Music] it's amazing such wonderful tones and so many but but how can I remember those settings very simply you see each of the four has its own characteristic shape on the drawbars well here maybe this will illustrate it for you you see there's the basic setting for a flute tone that's the way our drawbars were set here and there's the basic shape and here's the basic setting for the string tones all you have to remember is this slow curve and here's the read setting any variation of the read tone you want will be in that same V shape and here's the diapason like a big check mark from left to right and that's all there's to it it's as simple as can be I'm sure I can handle it of course you can and you'll find much satisfaction too in the fact that this is a complete organ in fact every model in the Hammond line is complete with two manual keyboards and a pedal keyboard listen [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] has a 32 note pedal keyboard designed to meet ago specifications and an additional solo pedal unit that will give you tones from a one foot all the way down to a 32 foot pitch now listen to this [Music] that's beautiful but your church is so much larger than ours where the Hammond sounds so Grand in ours I had certainly would you know I played a Hammond in our small Church before this one was built a Hammond organ is the only organ that can provide just exactly the right amount of reverberation regardless of the Acoustics or size of your church that's because it doesn't depend on the natural reverberation of the room the reverberation unit provided with the tone cabinet will give you cathedral-like tones and even the smallest Church here's an exclusive feature of the Hammond Organ it's called touch response percussion control and produces percussive effects for instance here's a bell tone carrying the melody [Music] [Music] my how beautiful and here's a duet with a chime-like tone [Music] I had no idea you could get those tones without special attachments well this unique feature isn't found on any other organ and that's another reason why I favor a Hammond you can produce hundreds of interesting percussion tones ranging all the way from Chimes to Harps here's another [Music] foreign it's a beautiful instrument this concert model is the largest in the Hammond line now I don't know what your Church's budget is but whatever it is you'll find a Hammond organ that will give you the same registration flexibility and Rich tonal quality that you hear now come let me show you something now here in the choir practice room we have the spinet model of the Hammond organ it has the same drawbar system as the larger organs the new model spin it also has the percussion control I showed you this model is perfect for this place why for years we used it as the main instrument in our original Church and even now we move it over to the chapel for weddings and special services listen to it oh [Music] foreign [Music] I was just entranced at the beautiful music coming out of the little spinach and now of course I can't wait to that is of course if you're satisfied what about you Fred this very seems to have run into a very convincing gentleman well I had about the same experience only there must have been a thousand people convincing me you know that big Community Church in North Hills you've heard about the very active weekday program they have well that church is really the center of community life of what I saw made my head swim they have a big Hammond organ in the church but they also have a spinet that is the busiest organ you can possibly imagine two kids can lift it and they wheel it back and forth all week from room to room wherever they need music that's where the Hammond organ is in the Sunday School room it seemed to make those children sing with all their hearts and from Sunday morning on all through the week that Hammond spinet model followed the activities all through the church calendar the adult Sunday school the Boy Scouts the Glee Club the teenage Club prayer meeting and choir practice I was amazed why they carted that spinet from place to place like it was no more trouble than a piccolo well isn't that hard on an organ not on a Hammond it isn't the activities directed There told me he had thrown away the key to the organ so many people young and old are able to play it and do well doesn't it Get Out Of Tune no I asked the same question it's the only instrument in the world that can't get out of tune well that's one of the features that made the Hammond Organ famous that's right Mr Temple told me the same thing by golly that's why the people I call told me there had never been a penny of tuning expense and almost no maintenance costs with their Hammond organs you know I practically diode my finger off calling every Church in the city to get answers to my questions now may I interrupt you to Enthusiast long enough to tell you why I recommend the Hammonds surely well they provided straightforward answers to many of my questions and you've confirmed everything I've read then it was a simple matter to check Hammond's standing and reputation the best I learned that there was an organ priced to meet our budget and of course I've already told you that I'm satisfied we'll have no tuning costs and little maintenance to Warriors in the future I've checked everything from a business standpoint and I'm convinced that a Hammond Organ will be our best investment yes Mrs Berry and Fred I'm in complete Accord with you I feel confident that we've reached a Sound Decision oh Mr Graham our congregation has such a wonderful surprise in store why everybody will enjoy it yes music for our church good music inspiring music I am proud that I had something to do with bringing this organ into our church [Music] and I know Fred Thompson feels the same way and well as for Mrs Berry her music this morning is speaking for her [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Laughter] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign yeah they lay in pretty heavy on the sales pitch towards the end um anyways thanks for joining us today uh if you like what you saw please uh donate to AV Geeks um you can do that by buying us coffee at Ko Dash fi.com you can also go to patreon.com avgeeks and um you can also just hit the like button or the Subscribe button uh we'll we'll have a show tomorrow and uh I think if I see some people at this conference that I'm at in Pittsburgh um that have seen the show I might have them uh make a brief appearance to say hi uh so you'll say like oh that person in the comments that's what they look like um but maybe not we'll see uh anyways I hope everybody has a great rest of your day and we will see you soon take care bye