Competent organists used to be a dime a dozen, and now they are a rare breed. Even rarer are young organists. I used to be one of those rare breeds, a unicorn really. I never realized how special it was to be one of those people who never had a “real job.” Mrs. Gros, my high school guidance counselor, almost scared me off, however. Unicorn sightings tend to attract a lot of negative attention from those who think they’re not real.

During our junior year we were to meet with Mrs. Gros, a rather stern-looking woman who would look up at you over her reading glasses. She loved asking science questions no one could answer. In her sinister ways, she delighted in watching teenagers squirm. During our counseling session, I told her I wanted to study the organ in college, and then I got that blank, sideways stare that I’ll never forget. At that moment, the unicorn nearly dashed out of the room! After a rather awkward pause, she facetiously wondered, “Don’t you want to major in something where you can get a ‘real job’?”

Allow me to introduce you to not one, but two unicorns in our midst. C.C. Graham and Lucas Glenn, both staff singers in the choir. C.C. is studying organ and organic chemistry at UT and hails from South Dakota; and Lucas is studying piano performance and organ at UT and is from right here in St. Pete. You’ll see them both at the mighty Fisk this semester. C.C. is playing our voluntaries today, and you may remember Lucas accompanying the choir last week.

What a rare treat we have here! In most places, pipe organs are being scrapped and choir vestments are fraying in dusty basements. Church choirs are turning into relics too. The average age of a volunteer church chorister is hovering around 65. My friend Adam is the music director at one of Charlotte’s most prominent churches. As his choir advances in age, and many advance to the church triumphant, he’s beginning to realize that hiring staff singers will be the only way to preserve their tradition. Singing the complex music that we perform weekly requires physical and vocal agility, dexterity, and stamina not often present in aging voices. While we have a solid and very capable faction of volunteers in our choir, we depend on our staff singers, tremendously. I hope you treasure our thriving tradition and will consider sustaining it indefinitely in your estate planning.

Organists used to be plentiful, but they often kept their instruments locked and tucked away in choir lofts. I remember as a youngster wanting to play the organ in a cathedral in a nearby town, only to be told no because I wasn’t qualified nor was I on “the list.” The unicorn got spooked again. Now I pray I’ll walk into the church and find a young person at the console experimenting with the various sounds the organ can make. You can’t hurt the organ unless you intend to. Don’t forget, unicorns are harmless creatures.

It’s wonderful to have young people in our music ministry, but it comes not without cost. So, let’s celebrate, nurture, and preserve our treasure. Our anthem’s first line this morning helps us. “God be in my understanding.” Thank you for your understanding and thanks for being so kind and gentle with the unicorns. They are precious, but they get scared off easily. Soli Deo Gloria!