cornerstone

Every other Sunday, 11:00am in the Sanctuary.


Cornerstone worship experiences are God-exalting and uplifting for the believer. Entering the Sanctuary, every worshiper is prepared to encounter God through the majestic strains of the pipe organ, the harmonic sounds of the orchestra, and the artistry emanating from the grand piano. Additionally, the service offers rich worship experiences led by the Sanctuary Choir, Master Ringers Handbell Choir, vocal soloists, and special guest musicians.


In the Cornerstone worship service, you will hear and sing a wide variety of musical styles including hymns and choruses – each one specially selected to enhance your worship experience. Our staff will preach a relevant, life-impacting message from the Bible, which will help you to experience meaningful life in Jesus Christ. Cornerstone worship experiences are designed to lead participants to worship our Lord with heart, mind and voice. We look forward to seeing you there.

instrumentals

The important place of instrumental music in worship can be traced back to its beginnings in 1 Chronicles 15. Instruments were used to announce the coming of the ark of the covenant. Since the ark represented the presence of God, these instruments were used to announce the coming of the presence of the Lord. The Briarlake Orchestra is continuing to develop its ministry to dynamically announce God’s presence each week in worship.


Orchestra

Briarlake’s Orchestra is a talented group of eighteen to twenty instrumentalists who help lead the Briarlake family in worship through inspiring instrumental music. Adults, college students, and high school students with experience in playing a band or orchestral instrument are welcome.


The group plays on most Sunday mornings in Cornerstone and in special seasonal productions.


Rehearsal - Wednesdays, 7:00pm - 8:30pm in the sanctuary. Child care will be provided upon request.


To become a member of the orchestra, an instrumentalist must have played an instrument for at least 3 years and be able to play the music that we play on Sundays. The audition consists of the director listening to the instrumentalist as well as the instrumentalist “sitting in” on a few rehearsals to see if the player can play the music. We welcome all ages of instrumentalists and encourage those who are interested to become a member.


Want to know more? For more information, please contact the church office at (404) 325-4214.


Master Ringers

Master Ringers is an adult handbell choir under the direction of Susan Purcell. The group rings music of medium to advanced difficulty, and rings occasionally in the Cornerstone worship service and for Christmas concerts.


Briarlake Pipe Organ

"Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet: praise Him with the psaltery and harp. Praise Him with the timbrel and dance: praise Him with stringed instruments and organs." - Psalm 150:3-4


Briarlake’s original sanctuary organ was built by the Rueter Organ Company of Lawrence, Kansas in 1971. It was comprised of 1,867 pipes in four divisions: Great, Swell, Choir, and Pedal.


In 1991-1992, major refurbishings and additions were made to the organ by Schlueter Pipe Organ Company of Lithonia, GA, who maintains the organ. These included the new Ancillary division, new organ cases with the Trumpet En Chamade (left of baptistry), which was balanced by an Ensemble En Chamade (right of baptistry), as well as a new Aeolian-Skinner style console built to AGO (American Guild of Organists) standards.


The organ now has 62 ranks in five divisions: Ancillary, Swell, Great, Choir and Pedal. In all, the sanctuary organ contains 3,545 pipes, placing it among the 25 largest organs in Atlanta.


Click here to see the pipe organ specifications.

music

The Music Ministry of Briarlake Church exists to help people experience meaningful life in Christ through worship and proclamation. Briarlake is committed to having inspiring worship as we celebrate who God is and what He has done. To this end, a variety of choral and instrumental groups help us to offer God our heartfelt, sincere praise and adoration. Whether you are a skilled musician or someone who simply likes to make a “joyful noise” to the Lord, come join your heart and voice with ours to joyfully worship God.


Sanctuary Choir

The Sanctuary Choir leads worship at the 11:00 a.m. Cornerstone worship service under the direction of John Glover, Minister of Music. The choir enjoys a variety of great choral music, and presents several special concerts during the year.


Rehearsal - Wednesdays, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. in the choir room, located in Building E near the sanctuary. Child care will be provided upon request.


Want to join the choir? Briarlake members and regular attenders – high school age and older – are invited to join the choir. No audition is necessary.


Briarlake’s Sanctuary Choir offers two options for participation:

1. Regular Choir Membership: Rehearse on Wednesday evenings and sing in the Cornerstone worship service each Sunday.

2. Seasonal Choir Membership: Sing in special concerts during the year (Christmas, Easter, etc).


Want to know more?

Contact John Glover (Cornerstone Worship Leader) at j-glover@briarlakechurch.org, or Susan Whitt (Administrative Assistant) at s-whitt@briarlakechurch.org (or use the email link to the right).