At the start of Advent for nearly 80 years, the Clendenin Community Chorus has performed Handel's "Messiah." This year, five months after flood waters ravaged the community and nearly destroyed the church where the performances are held, the event has taken on a special significance.
"I think music is a very special way of healing," said conductor H.G. Young. "We're looking at the performance as a part of the very long healing process for our town and our community."
Sunday will be the choir's 78th performance of "Messiah," a more than 270-year-old oratorio probably best known for its "Hallelujah Chorus." Sunday also will mark the first time the congregation of Clendenin United Methodist Church will be back in its building since after the June 23 flood.
The flood brought 10 feet of water into the church's building, destroying everything in the basement. The water was inches away from getting into the sanctuary on the first floor, said Rev. Scott Ferguson, the church's pastor. Between the church and the parsonage, which also was flooded, the water caused an estimated $500,000 in damage, Ferguson said.
Ferguson fortunately was out of town during the flood, but everything on the first floor in his home was destroyed. He kept track of flood damage on Facebook while he was away, he said.
"There was a point when we saw a picture of my truck parked in front of the garage and you couldn't see the truck," Ferguson said. "We thought it floated away, but it was there."
The church held services in its building for a couple of weeks after the flood but then moved them elsewhere, Ferguson said. During warmer weather, the services were in the church's picnic shelter. They most recently have had them in a gymnasium next to the church.
On Sunday, though the repair work is far from done, the church's congregation will resume services in its own building for the first time since the summer. The services will precede the performance, slated for 3 p.m.
"We knew we wanted and need to do it at the church but we didn't know if the church would be ready," Young said.
The church got heat just last week, he said.
The flood was particularly devastating for Young, whose father, 84-year-old Harmon Young, died as a result of the flood. Harmon Young was a long-time chorus member and probably sang in the "Messiah" performance for 60 years, his son said.
"I have been the conductor for 25 years, and it's something my dad and I shared during that time," H.G. Young said.
Like many of the homes of chorus members, Young's childhood home also was destroyed in the flood.
Young said canceling the performance this year would have been easy, but as the community rebuilds, it needs the event more than ever.
"A lot of people down there are still struggling," Young said. "They're working to build back, but it remains a challenge."
Young said he was touched to watch the help that poured into the community after the flood.
"It's just been amazing, all of the people who have helped so much," Young said. "People coming were not just local or regional people, they came from out of state to help in the recovery. It's been very touching just how much people care. There are strangers who know there's a need and they come."
The chorus' tradition of singing "Messiah" dates back to 1938 with John Barnes, then the band director at the old Clendenin High School, Young said. The chorus is made up of residents from Clendenin and from surrounding areas. Messiah is the main performance for the group, he said.
Young said the Clendenin group is the only one he knows of that has been doing the musical each year for nearly 80 years. Morris Harvey College, the predecessor to the University of Charleston, used to do an annual performance of the piece, but Clendenin Community Chorus' tradition dated back longer, Young said.
This year the chorus is inviting anyone in the community to join the performance. Anyone interested should bring a choir robe of any color and the sheet music to "Messiah" to Clendenin United Methodist Church, 121 Koontz Ave, Clendenin, prior to the performance, which is scheduled for 3 p.m. The performance also is free to spectators.
Reach Lori Kersey at lori.kersey@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1240 or follow @LoriKerseyWV on Twitter.