THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 11, 1994 TAG: 9411090162
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JANELLE LA BOUVE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 104 lines
BETTY SAWYER GARNER has played the organ at Great Bridge Congregational Christian Church for more than fifty years.
On Nov. 20, church members will acknowledge their gratitude for her years of service with a reception at the church. A recital will be presented by students who took piano lessons from her over the years.
``Miss Betty is the most faithful organist I have ever known,'' said the Rev. Jim Hunnewell, who has been her pastor since 1987. ``She is always ready to serve, not only in our regular services but in any of our extra services.
``If all church members were as faithful and dedicated as Miss Betty in whatever ministry God called them to, all churches would be phenomenal places. The organ for Miss Betty is a major part of her life. I believe that playing the organ is her gift to the Lord. She's an elegant lady, a lady of grace and style.''
Over the years, in spite of countless inquiries, Garner has managed to keep her birthdate a secret.
``I'm a little older than my teeth,'' was the only clue Garner would give when asked for her age. ``I don't want to see my age in print because that worries me.''
But the reason for her joyous outlook on life is no secret.
``I still can't wait for Sunday,'' she said. ``Music has an effect on me. No words can express what comes out of my heart when I'm playing the organ. Sometimes my heart just bleeds when I'm playing. If there's one soul out there who can be brought closer to the Lord by my playing, that's what I hope for.
``Once when I was playing `Have Thine Own Way Lord,' boy, I just cried,'' she said. ``Playing at the church has been the pleasure of my life. The church is the most important thing in my life for 53 years.''
``She's there all the time and very conscientious,'' said Jane Shoemaker, who was church secretary from 1986 to 1993. ``I think the only time she ever missed playing for services was when she was in the hospital with heart problems.
``She doesn't expect any gratitude for anything,'' Shoemaker said. ``She just does it. Playing the organ is her ministry. Her outlook seems to be very upbeat. She seldom seems to be depressed and is a delightful personality.''
``She's a wonderful person and very likable,'' agreed Louise Warren, who has known Garner for more than 50 years. ``She taught piano to my son and my daughter when they were growing up. Any church would be fortunate to have her services.
``She gave her services to the church for a long time,'' Warren said. ``She helped organize choirs everywhere. She always picked out beautiful music. I really love her. I think that anyone who has known her will never forget her.''
``She's like a landmark and always at the church on time,'' said Nell Wilson, who has been in the church for about 25 years. ``Her church and playing the organ have been the most important things in her life.''
Garner remembers when the church was heated by a pot-bellied stove and the Sunday School rooms were separated only by curtains.
``You had to listen closely, or you'd hear the teacher in the next room,'' she said.
It was her husband, Charles Sawyer, who first took her to the church. ``He told me to wear my prettiest dress,'' she recalled.
``We were in a bad shape because of the Depression for my first 17 years in the church. I stayed because I love the people. But I love God first.''
Early in her tenure at the church, the congregation decided to buy an organ.
``They told me they'd buy a Hammond organ if I would play it,'' said Garner. ``So I bought some Hammond books.''
While she awaited the arrival of the instrument, Garner contrived an imaginary scale for the pedal assembly. Shifting her feet back and forth on the floor, she pretended to play pedal notes.
``When we first got the Hammond organ, I was floating,'' she said. ``I tried first one stop, then another. I decided this one sounds good; that one, not so good.''
During her practice seasons at the church, Garner's two sons were always nearby.
``My 2-year-old would sit on the front seat,'' she said. ``The baby would lie on the floor and never say a word. But when he got older, he'd play with cars and run them up and down my legs.''
Garner grew up in Pittsburgh, Pa., where she was educated in a strict Catholic school. There, she became enthralled by the sound of the pipe organ and made up her mind to learn to play.
For seven years, she took piano lessons from a very strict teacher.
``My teacher was crabby,'' Garner said. ``She held a ruler over me. I never knew whether she would hit my head, my shoulder or my knuckles. That made me practice my head off, sometimes two hours a day, because I didn't want to get hit.
``She made me sight read, memorize, play fast and play scared,'' she said. ``She taught only the classics. Right now if somebody stands at the back of me to watch my music, it makes me nervous.''
Later, Garner became a teacher, too. She charged just 50 cents a lesson when she first started.
``I have a knack for teaching,'' she said. ``Students do what I ask them to. You have to give them a little sugar and let them play some of the things they like. But I always taught the classics and tried to encourage my students to love church music and to love the Lord.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
``No words can express what comes out of my heart when I'm playing
the organ,'' says Betty Garner, organist at Great Bridge
Congregational Christian Church.
by CNB