65 Champ Amp
Tele-Afflicted
I led worship at a small church for over 20 years. Sometimes with a drummer/singer (pastor’s brother), sometimes with a girl singer (pastor’s daughter), but a lot of the time solo.
I bought and put together the sound system, and played either my ‘85 Collector’s Edition Ovation, or a Tele through a Mesa Subway Rocket. Chose the music, printed the charts, scheduled the rehearsals, all the usual stuff.
In late ‘21, when the landlord eased his no singing covid rules, I figured we’d be getting back to live worship soon. The pastor had told me “soon”.
We walked in one Sunday to find the pastor’s nephew and his college aged buddies had replaced me. Nothing was ever said to me ahead of time. Just them telling each other “we’re so lucky! We have a new worship team”. They were ok, but clearly youth and the right look must have been what they felt they needed.
That was a strange day. No one would look at me. The pastor and his brother avoided eye contact with my wife and me. My wife and I just sat there looking at each other with unspoken questions. And even the normally chatty women ignored my wife.
We did have talks with the pastor and his wife, as well as with the elders, within the following three weeks, but all that did was confirm that we needed to move on.
I think (I think~ because no one had the courage to speak honestly) that the pastor’s wife was the driving force. She had a “vision” of a stage full of youth musicians so she could fulfill her vision of a big growing church, and I’m a 66 year old graybeard. More power to them, and I wish them well.
And for the last few years I’d been the lead guitarist for a woman, a singer songwriter. We did a monthly worship in their old barn. We lost our bassist and sometime drummer during the covid shenanigans but continued on as a duo. Until late last year, when her MS flared up and she had to hang it up. So two bands to no bands.
So I spent a year just practicing. Which even though I’ve played guitar for 55 years, has been really good for me.
Well, after a year, we decided to poke around and find another church. And I knew better than to be looking for another place to play guitar ~ finding the right church was more important.
Besides getting used to going from being the main instrumentalist in two bands to being in nothing, I did a lot of introspection. The usual stuff~ what did I do wrong, what could I have done better, am I too old?
Lots of good can come from that, if you’re honest with yourself.
Two things I’ll mention here ~ Church First/Guitar Second. Never stay in a church just because they let you play guitar. Second ~ No, I am not too old!
Please don’t think this is sour grapes, but sometimes you have to step away for a time to see things you overlooked. Things like how my wife never developed many close women friends at that church even though she always volunteered and helped out, things like how when I was paralyzed with a rare disease and spent most of 2012 in the hospital, and none of my church family visited. Not once.
It ran it’s course, and I forgive them just as I hope they forgive me for my shortcomings.
My 30 yr old daughter has Down Syndrome. She and I were poking around back in Menards, when a guy said “I have a son like your daughter”. So we started talking. He’s my age, his son is my daughter’s age, he plays guitar, and he invited us to check out his church.
So we did, after promising my wife, and myself, that finding the right church for us came first. I would not go into it just looking for a place to play guitar. Easily said, right? But I meant it.
Well, as it turns out, it IS the right church home for us. And since God is good, this church is full of music and talent.
My new friend, Dave, who has also never played in front of this church, has invited me for some Sat morning jams. After the first one, the pastor came up to me and said “I hear we have a new lead guitarist”. I had to tell him I live to play, and love to serve by playing, but want to take it slow and wait to be invited by the regulars.
Today he played bass with us.
So long story, but we are now working on some songs that we will be invited to play when we’re ready. And some of the regular Sunday folks have been joining us ~ their regular guitarist/banjo guy, the young lady singer, and a fiddle player and mandolin player may join us too. So it looks like we won’t be stepping into anyone’s territory, or threatening anyone’s “ownership”. That’s a breath of fresh air as well as a lesson to me. It’s all about humility and serving.
And I have their blessing to bring an amp and my Tele to the next jam.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you!
And if you’re so inclined and led, pray for me. Pray that I can just find a small way to fit in and serve.
God’s led me on a great path, and shown me things. Good and not so good. Recovering when they said I would die, losing a son in Afghanistan, and getting unceremoniously dumped from being Worship Leader. Good has come of all of it.
Life is good, aint it?
I bought and put together the sound system, and played either my ‘85 Collector’s Edition Ovation, or a Tele through a Mesa Subway Rocket. Chose the music, printed the charts, scheduled the rehearsals, all the usual stuff.
In late ‘21, when the landlord eased his no singing covid rules, I figured we’d be getting back to live worship soon. The pastor had told me “soon”.
We walked in one Sunday to find the pastor’s nephew and his college aged buddies had replaced me. Nothing was ever said to me ahead of time. Just them telling each other “we’re so lucky! We have a new worship team”. They were ok, but clearly youth and the right look must have been what they felt they needed.
That was a strange day. No one would look at me. The pastor and his brother avoided eye contact with my wife and me. My wife and I just sat there looking at each other with unspoken questions. And even the normally chatty women ignored my wife.
We did have talks with the pastor and his wife, as well as with the elders, within the following three weeks, but all that did was confirm that we needed to move on.
I think (I think~ because no one had the courage to speak honestly) that the pastor’s wife was the driving force. She had a “vision” of a stage full of youth musicians so she could fulfill her vision of a big growing church, and I’m a 66 year old graybeard. More power to them, and I wish them well.
And for the last few years I’d been the lead guitarist for a woman, a singer songwriter. We did a monthly worship in their old barn. We lost our bassist and sometime drummer during the covid shenanigans but continued on as a duo. Until late last year, when her MS flared up and she had to hang it up. So two bands to no bands.
So I spent a year just practicing. Which even though I’ve played guitar for 55 years, has been really good for me.
Well, after a year, we decided to poke around and find another church. And I knew better than to be looking for another place to play guitar ~ finding the right church was more important.
Besides getting used to going from being the main instrumentalist in two bands to being in nothing, I did a lot of introspection. The usual stuff~ what did I do wrong, what could I have done better, am I too old?
Lots of good can come from that, if you’re honest with yourself.
Two things I’ll mention here ~ Church First/Guitar Second. Never stay in a church just because they let you play guitar. Second ~ No, I am not too old!
Please don’t think this is sour grapes, but sometimes you have to step away for a time to see things you overlooked. Things like how my wife never developed many close women friends at that church even though she always volunteered and helped out, things like how when I was paralyzed with a rare disease and spent most of 2012 in the hospital, and none of my church family visited. Not once.
It ran it’s course, and I forgive them just as I hope they forgive me for my shortcomings.
My 30 yr old daughter has Down Syndrome. She and I were poking around back in Menards, when a guy said “I have a son like your daughter”. So we started talking. He’s my age, his son is my daughter’s age, he plays guitar, and he invited us to check out his church.
So we did, after promising my wife, and myself, that finding the right church for us came first. I would not go into it just looking for a place to play guitar. Easily said, right? But I meant it.
Well, as it turns out, it IS the right church home for us. And since God is good, this church is full of music and talent.
My new friend, Dave, who has also never played in front of this church, has invited me for some Sat morning jams. After the first one, the pastor came up to me and said “I hear we have a new lead guitarist”. I had to tell him I live to play, and love to serve by playing, but want to take it slow and wait to be invited by the regulars.
Today he played bass with us.
So long story, but we are now working on some songs that we will be invited to play when we’re ready. And some of the regular Sunday folks have been joining us ~ their regular guitarist/banjo guy, the young lady singer, and a fiddle player and mandolin player may join us too. So it looks like we won’t be stepping into anyone’s territory, or threatening anyone’s “ownership”. That’s a breath of fresh air as well as a lesson to me. It’s all about humility and serving.
And I have their blessing to bring an amp and my Tele to the next jam.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you!
And if you’re so inclined and led, pray for me. Pray that I can just find a small way to fit in and serve.
God’s led me on a great path, and shown me things. Good and not so good. Recovering when they said I would die, losing a son in Afghanistan, and getting unceremoniously dumped from being Worship Leader. Good has come of all of it.
Life is good, aint it?
Last edited:
