Music & quiet
Come sing with us, learn to use your whole voice, or start one-on-one. Pick whichever door suits you — and if more than one calls, sign up for all of them.
We have put two years into restoring this old chapel — its stained glass, its pipe organ, its good acoustics. We do it to honor the architects and artisans who built it, and the Presbyterian faith that filled it with beautiful music and this beautiful organ for over a century. Our hope is simple: to do the space justice by opening it to all.
Song and music are a way to bring goodness into our lives in a very practical, direct, and immediate way — rather than hoping things get fixed later and then we can be happy. So we just begin. Below are a few ways in. We tag every list by interest, so you only hear about the thing you came for.
Simple Gifts — a Shaker hymn
"'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight."
Come in by whichever door suits you
Add your email to any list below. We'll only use it for the thing you asked about.
The Community Sing-In
A pop-up choir — songs everybody knows
We come together in the chapel and sing songs most everybody knows — Here Comes the Sun, old uplifting love songs, the rock songs that still feel good — for about an hour, then we break right on time. No yak, no opinions, no performance. You get the small list of songs in advance so you know what we're singing and can decide if you want to come. Bring an instrument if you like; we'll have music to play along and lyrics to sing. It's an easy, low-pressure way in — especially if you carry social anxiety, overwhelm, or grief, and just want an hour of something warm. We'll start as soon as enough people are interested and we're in town.
Voice Time — Sing with Your Whole Voice
Community voice lessons, for joy and well-being
Every so often we hold a community voice time for people who want to learn to sing with their whole voice — for the joy of it, and for their own inner well-being. We teach a particular way of singing that helps you reach your joy, and resource yourself through difficulty and grief by working with music. If you want to know when the next one is, add your name here.
Start One-on-One
A free first visit, just to meet
If these ideas interest you but you'd rather start one-on-one, that's welcome too. The first visit is always just a free meet-and-greet — a chat to see if it's a fit. We don't charge for things here; we just nourish, because nourishment is nourishing, and good is good. Song and music are a way to bring goodness into our lives right now, in a practical and immediate way, rather than hoping things get fixed later. Add your email and we'll send you a link to book that first visit.
Children & Youth
Music and gatherings for young people
If your children would like to take part — sing-ins, voice time, or the youth gatherings — add them to the list and we'll let you know what's coming for young people.
Music Teachers
Priority use of the space for lessons, instruments, and recitals
If you teach music — voice, piano, organ, strings, or any instrument — the sanctuary is open to you with priority for lessons, practice, and recitals. The pipe organ, the tuned piano, the recording setup, and the recital hall are here for your students. The same house rules govern every use of the property: care for the room, reverence for what it is, and quiet as the baseline. There is no fee and no requirement to give; where there are real costs, a donation is welcome but never required — just as with everything else here. Add your email and we'll send you the details and a link to book the space.
Evening quiet at seven
The door opens to anyone who needs to sit for a while.
(Evening sits paused until August 23, 2026)
The pipe organ
The chapel's pipe organ still plays after more than a century, and it asks for steady, patient care. We're keeping up with it so it can keep singing for everyone who comes through.
Read about the organUsing the chapel for a rite of passage
If you live in Forest and want to use the chapel for a wedding, a baby blessing, or another quiet rite of passage, the space is available by donation — for the meaningful thresholds of a life, not for parties.
See how that worksNeighbors in Hardin County are welcome too, by donation when the room is free — Forest residents come first, as this is our area of care.
We are not a commercial venue. Everything here is given freely; where there are real costs, we simply ask you to cover them or give what feels fair by donation. The chapel is a quiet, healing room, and it stays that way.
Who this space isn't good for
This is a quiet, healing place. We keep speech to a minimum and let music and silence do the work. So the chapel isn't a fit for everything — and we want to say that plainly, with kindness, before you make the trip.
- Loud parties, DJ nights, or amplified celebrations.
- Events built around speeches, toasts, or long programs of talking.
- Large open-bar social gatherings or late-night dancing.
- Anything that needs the room to feel like a commercial venue.
A room to practice in
The sanctuary is a fine room to make music in — good acoustics, a tuned piano and pipe organ, and a quiet that lets you hear yourself. Two ways to use it:
- Faith communities: if your congregation wants a place to rehearse a choir, the space is yours by no-questions-asked donation when it's available. We welcome any tradition.
- Anyone who makes music: between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., April 15 through October 15, anyone can book the sanctuary to practice, on your own or with a small group. There's no fee; you simply book the time and follow the house rules.
The house rules are simple and keep the room what it is: quiet and reverence; no shoes in the sanctuary (leave them in the foyer); always start and end on time; and focus on the music.
You can see what's open and claim a slot directly on the calendar — practice, teaching, rehearsal, or performance time, every day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Book a time on the calendarA note on how we share this room: vocational music teachers may be paid for their teaching — that is their livelihood. But there are no fee-related performances, no ticketed entertainment, and no profiteering events here. We share music with each other freely as air. See Using the Space for the full details.
Curious who's singing and playing? Our full story lives on the People page.
Meet the people