On Sunday 9th October 2016 the band was out in action again, for the second week running we were providing the music for a service in Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church. This time the 18 strong band, under the direction of bandmaster Simon Farrenden was playing for Sunday morning service, which was the Church’s Harvest festival led by Rev. Peter Cornick. The band played traditional hymns ‘Come Ye Thankful People’ and ‘We Plough the Fields’ both from the Salvation Army hymn tune book, along with more modern songs ‘Always Remember, Never Forget’ arr. Simon Farrenden and ‘Beauty for Brokenness’ from the Salvation Army’s New Scripture Compilation. For the final hymn we used the salvation Army’s New Christmas Praise ‘How Far is it to Bethlehem’.
The band was invited by the London Stedfast Association band to join them to help provide music for the Stedfast Association’s annual service of thanksgiving on Saturday 22 October 2016. 13 members of the Chandler’s Ford band travelled up to Wesley’s Chapel in central London to join with 13 members of the L.S.A band. The service was a fairly tradition service and included an address by Steve Dickenson (CEO of BB Global Fellowship). Again the Salvation Army hymn tune book was used for the majority of the hymns, the band playing ‘What a Friend’, ‘Benson’, and ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’. The band also played ‘Underneath the Banner’ and ‘When I Needed a Neighbour’. The service concluded with the playing of the National Anthem and the singing of the BB Vesper to the hymn tune ‘Whitburn’.
