Rehearsals are currently underway for a cantata that will be performed at Parkesburg United Methodist Church (UMC) on Easter morning, and local singers are encouraged to participate.

Singers age 12 and over are invited to attend rehearsals for the Easter cantata choir at the church, 411 Main St., Parkesburg. Rehearsals began on Feb. 6 and will run every Thursday through March 26 at 7 p.m. The final rehearsal will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 4, prior to the performance on Sunday, April 5, at 10:30 a.m.

The Easter cantata is titled "Amazing Love: How Can It Be." The name comes from the hymn "And Can It Be," which focuses on atonement, resurrection and God's love.

"It takes you through the story of Holy Week all the way through Easter through music and narrations in between," explained choir director Ashley Radcliff, Parkesburg UMC's musical director. "It is a full-length choral program arranged by Russell Mauldin. He has taken a bunch of older hymns and newer worship songs and arranged them for choir and put them together with narration into a larger work." Parkesburg UMC church members will serve as narrators.

Radcliff describes the cantata as easy to learn, including for those who sing in choirs at other churches. "Regardless of where the singers come from, I guarantee they will recognize at least one piece in it. It has older hymns from more traditional services and newer worship songs," she stated. "It is very recognizable music and very approachable." Choir members will also be provided with audio to listen to their voice parts so they can practice at home.

Radcliff is not limiting the number of choir members who want to join. "We have the space; it's the matter of having the voices," she noted. "Right now, we have more men than women, which is a challenge that I have never dealt with, (but) it's great. It would be nice to see some ladies come out - those (with) higher voices."

Forming a community choir came out of the church's efforts to unite singers from all denominations. "We worked together with churches in the area that did not have official choirs, so we invited them to sing with our choir for cantatas," Radcliff shared. "Others have heard about it, so I invited anybody. The choir will have our regulars, and anybody else is invited to come sing along with us."

Because the service is being held at 10:30 a.m. on Easter, members of other churches who join the choir can still attend services at their home churches. "A lot of churches have multiple services on Easter weekend, so there are churchgoers who can go to their service on Saturday night and come sing with us on Sunday morning," Radcliff pointed out, noting that churchgoers can also attend early morning services on Easter and make it to Parkesburg UMC later. "You can still go to your church and come and sing, too."

No auditions are necessary, and singers of all skill levels are welcome. "All I ask for is a heart to sing," Radcliff stated. "Most people that say they can't sing are probably in the wrong voice part. If you can get people in a comfortable range, it makes it a lot easier to make a nice sound."

Currently, Thursday rehearsals are held in the church's music room, but the group will move to the sanctuary if there is a large turnout. Signs will direct visitors to the rehearsal area.

To learn more about church activities, join the Parkesburg UMC public Facebook group or visit www. parkesburgunitedmethodistchurch.org.