APRIL 15-16, 2023 – Hot off the heels of a successful Tour of England, The New York Staff Band was back to the band room to prepare for a busy several months ahead, starting with the 136th Annual Festival.
The band is conscious of the challenges that corps and divisions face when away on ministry weekends and tours by taking away valuable members of those programs. The Greater New York Division contributes many players to the band and probably feels the effects more than other places when local members are absent. As the bands tour of England had a specific timeframe that couldn’t be altered, it meant that other schedules needed to be adjusted, including that of a great initiative for young musicians in the GNY Division.
GNY has established a great intermediate music and arts program that is geared toward young people not quite of age or ability for the larger divisional youth band and other groups. Each year, the ‘Railton’ groups, named after the hall in which they rehearse on 14th St, NYC and one of the founding officers of the work in the USA, hold a final concert to celebrate the hard work of these young musicians. It was decided that these young people would be a great addition to the 136th Annual Festival and after a bit of rearranging, became the bands special guests!
The Centennial Memorial Temple is the NYSB’s spiritual home in a way, so having the opportunity to sit alongside, encourage and be encouraged by these young musicians and future leaders was a real treat. The festival began with a pre-festival concert by all the Railton Groups. These consisted of Railton Brass (Christopher Webster, NYSB Eb Bass), Railton Chorus (Lily Finikin), Railton Timbrels, (Jessica Pineda), Railton Dance (Nicole Alvarez) and Railton Drama (Tatiana Saintilus).
The support from proud parents, family members and corps people made up an appreciative audience and really set the stage for the New York Staff Band’s portion of the program.
In a not so different set from the tour program, the band opened with Philip Harpers ‘Worship the King’ immediately followed by a new band favorite, ‘Hear the Call’ by Marcus Venables. After a welcome, prayer and congregational song, the Railton Drama team presented a call to worship through a dramatic scripture reading and was followed up with another Railton group, the timbrels, accompanied by the NYSB in Dorothy Gates’ ‘David’s Dance’. Another newer Marcus Venables piece, ‘The Conqueror’, preceded two more items by the lovely Railton Chorus.
With the family friendly nature of the NYSB’s newest project, CREATION, it was a no brainer to feature this work on the program. As it hadn’t previously been presented in the New York area, it was a good opportunity for the young people and their families in attendance to experience this work, and to also see that worship can be creative and fun while maintain a very high standard of musicianship. CREATION did not disappoint as many of the kids were up dancing and singing along to items such as ‘Under the Sea’ and ‘Beautiful Creatures.’ The congregation, although made up of many younger children, quickly understood the significance of the creation story and engaged even when the material became more reflective. As the band has prayed for, the end of the work saw the congregation rise to their feet, singing fervently with the band, How Great Thou Art,’ bringing an appropriate ending to the 136th Annual Festival and hoping that the Lord will have once again used the band to further the Kingdom.
Sunday morning quickly arrived after a night on the Jersey Shore as the band gathered at the newly renovated Asbury Park Corps, just blocks from the Atlantic Ocean.
Major’s Josh and Cat Lyle have been corps officers in Asbury Park for around 3 years with Josh and his son Jake both being NYSB bandsmen. The Salvation Army has had a long, thriving presence in Asbury Park and although not the large corps congregation that it used to be, great efforts are being made to engage the community and a great sense of family and rebuilding is present in the corps.
After several months of work to expand the platform and upgrade much of the chapel, the NYSB was pleased to be one of the first groups to ‘christen’ the newly renovated space, to an appreciative and diverse congregation. As is the purpose of the staff band on our ministry weekends, we hope that by being a part of worship on this particular Sunday will be an encouragement to the corps and community and look forward to what the Lord will continue to do in that area.
It wouldn’t have been a successful NYSB weekend if it wasn’t for lots of good eating, and Asbury Park certainly didn’t disappoint! The band and corps folk were blessed to share a wonderful meal of authentic Mexican food, which most everyone thought to be catered, but in fact was cooked almost single handedly by Major Cat Lyle…The real MVP of the weekend!
A few band members went on a brisk stroll down the Asbury Park boardwalk after lunch, but one thing is for certain, each one went home fulfilled, and with a sense of purpose and gratitude for another successful ministry weekend and Annual Festival.
