Our Friend, Neil...
(Please note...Good Friday post is below...)
We got word last night that a real treasure at Council Road, Neil Hooper, went home to be with the Lord. I don't know all the details of it, but Neil had some kind of leukemia. He had some treatments earlier and then had to have some more things done in the last month or so. The upshot of it (I think) was that he wound up not producing white blood cells and then had some infection. But that is not why I am writing this today.
I am writing this, because although I didn't know Neil really well outside of choir, the things I did know about him were really uplifting.
Neil sang with joy and exuberance. Not only was he a really talented singer in the technical sense, I always felt that he had in his mind that it was for the Lord. An offering of praise to God. And when he was in his section, that was contagious.
Neil was a wise man and knew when and how to speak his mind. I was in a meeting with him in the last year or so, and we were supposed to be giving our thoughts about choir. The discussion kind of morphed into one about worship... then the worship services and Neil had something very wise that he said. I don't feel at liberty to tell what that was (sorry!), but I think the rest of us were slapping at symptoms and he cut right to the heart of the matter.
Even as he was sharing his thoughts (which were not fancy, but were right to the point), I thought, "You know, he's right...but I'm not sure I would have had the courage to say it." I knew that what he said hit home with many people, and I noticed some revisions in certain areas that could have very well come from what he said that day.
Neil had a wonderful (albeit kind of mischievous) sense of humor. Once when we were singing a really upbeat congregational praise song, there was a typo on the IMAG. I am sure everyone saw it, but since it was a happy song, it wasn't really disruptive. But it came up over and over (because we sang that phrase over and over).
Orchestra blaring, everyone singing, praise team in the front, choir behind on the risers...I was standing right behind Neil, and at the key change, when that word came up (it was supposed to be "truth") he leaned to the left slightly to his choir buddy and sang out "TURTH!" (which was what the screen displayed). And went right on. Again, it was a joyful song, so a smile didn't hurt a thing, and I think it was only the target of the joke and me that heard it, but I definitely looked "joyful" for the rest of the song.
Again, Greg and I never hung out with the Hoopers (his wife, Carol is a wonderful, funny gal as well) but I did know him for many years as a part of the choir. And when I think of him, I think of a solid, wise, talented, funny, full-of-integrity man.
Sometimes as artists and musicians, we have a tendency to be a little high strung...slightly diva acting. I know of a few times when I have been that way myself...and if people had to give their thoughts of me to an audience, they would probably leave out certain portions out of respect for me or so that they wouldn't embarrass me.
But not Neil...I am sure he had his moments, like everyone, but I never saw them. To borrow a phrase from Norman, "I wish I had 100 "Neils" in my life." No chance of that though. A one of a kind....
We got word last night that a real treasure at Council Road, Neil Hooper, went home to be with the Lord. I don't know all the details of it, but Neil had some kind of leukemia. He had some treatments earlier and then had to have some more things done in the last month or so. The upshot of it (I think) was that he wound up not producing white blood cells and then had some infection. But that is not why I am writing this today.
I am writing this, because although I didn't know Neil really well outside of choir, the things I did know about him were really uplifting.
Neil sang with joy and exuberance. Not only was he a really talented singer in the technical sense, I always felt that he had in his mind that it was for the Lord. An offering of praise to God. And when he was in his section, that was contagious.
Neil was a wise man and knew when and how to speak his mind. I was in a meeting with him in the last year or so, and we were supposed to be giving our thoughts about choir. The discussion kind of morphed into one about worship... then the worship services and Neil had something very wise that he said. I don't feel at liberty to tell what that was (sorry!), but I think the rest of us were slapping at symptoms and he cut right to the heart of the matter.
Even as he was sharing his thoughts (which were not fancy, but were right to the point), I thought, "You know, he's right...but I'm not sure I would have had the courage to say it." I knew that what he said hit home with many people, and I noticed some revisions in certain areas that could have very well come from what he said that day.
Neil had a wonderful (albeit kind of mischievous) sense of humor. Once when we were singing a really upbeat congregational praise song, there was a typo on the IMAG. I am sure everyone saw it, but since it was a happy song, it wasn't really disruptive. But it came up over and over (because we sang that phrase over and over).
Orchestra blaring, everyone singing, praise team in the front, choir behind on the risers...I was standing right behind Neil, and at the key change, when that word came up (it was supposed to be "truth") he leaned to the left slightly to his choir buddy and sang out "TURTH!" (which was what the screen displayed). And went right on. Again, it was a joyful song, so a smile didn't hurt a thing, and I think it was only the target of the joke and me that heard it, but I definitely looked "joyful" for the rest of the song.
Again, Greg and I never hung out with the Hoopers (his wife, Carol is a wonderful, funny gal as well) but I did know him for many years as a part of the choir. And when I think of him, I think of a solid, wise, talented, funny, full-of-integrity man.
Sometimes as artists and musicians, we have a tendency to be a little high strung...slightly diva acting. I know of a few times when I have been that way myself...and if people had to give their thoughts of me to an audience, they would probably leave out certain portions out of respect for me or so that they wouldn't embarrass me.
But not Neil...I am sure he had his moments, like everyone, but I never saw them. To borrow a phrase from Norman, "I wish I had 100 "Neils" in my life." No chance of that though. A one of a kind....
posted by angela at 12:54 PM
1 Comments:
I didn't know him. At least not the name, maybe by face I did...our church is so huge.
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