Messiah

The hottest junior college women's basketball team in the region is Mercer County Community College, and a pair of South Jersey residents are playing the part of unsung heroes in the Vikings' 12-game winning streak. Sophomore Christie Ingling from Bordentown High has become a key reserve for the Vikings, who were 19-3 going into last night's game against Gloucester County College. Freshman Tara Brunker of Northern Burlington also has been quietly effective after injuries forced her into a starting role.

As Handel's Messiah flows to its finale, one of the last choruses proclaims, "But thanks be to God" in a lively, triumphant fugue. M'Anette Ruddell, a soprano in the Singing City choir, says she is moved by the line's marriage of melody and message. As a Quaker, she usually worships silently and without formal liturgy. In choir, she enjoys the musical outlet and likes the idea of generalized praise of God that she finds in this repetitive section of the oratorio. Ruddell is less compelled, however, by the second part of the short chorus: " . . . who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Three Thousand Variations Symbolic of the Resurrection" will be the topic when Winston Mergott, former curator of the Delaware County Museum of Natural History, speaks at Thursday's meeting of the Men's Breakfast Group of the Paoli Presbyterian Church, 225 S. Valley Rd., Paoli. Mergott is a lepidopterist, or expert on butterflies and certain other insects which, as larvae, are caterpillars. The Breakfast Group meets every Thursday at 6:15 a.m. at the church. For information, call 610-644-8250.

For some, Chester County's holiday season begins on Sunday, when more than 400 singers - amateur and professional, veterans and beginners - will gather at the First Presbyterian Church of West Chester for the annual singing of Handel's Messiah. The sing-along has become a November tradition in relatively short time since Marcia Mau arrived in town in 1994 to become music director at the large, active, growing and historic church at Miner and Darlington Streets. "No church in Chester County was doing the Messiah then," she said, "so I proposed the idea to the choir and to the pastor.

A performance of Handel's Messiah is common this time of year. The first portion of the sacred oratorio has become a Christmas favorite. But there is nothing commonplace about George Lakey's version. For 30 years, he has hosted a Messiah sing-in at his West Philadelphia home, clearing out his living and dining rooms for the 40 to 50 people who show up. For Wednesday's production, there was not a tuxedo in sight. The dress code seemed more like corduroy and khakis, colorful tunics and tartan jumpers.

"People who love to sing or just love to hear good singing" are invited to a Handel's Messiah "sing-along" at 3 p.m. Sunday at the historic St. Peter's Church in the Great Valley on Church Road in Paoli. The church choir, led by music director Martha Johnson, will sing the solo parts and lead the singing, accompanied by organist Joel Klingman. A wine and cheese reception will follow. A $10 donation is suggested. The St. Peter's annual Christmas Family Eucharist and Children's Pageant will be held at 4 p.m. Christmas Eve. Festal Eucharist services will be at 8 and 11 p.m. Christmas Eve and 11 a.m. Christmas Day. CHOIR The 43-voice Sanctuary Choir of the Trinity Assembly of God Church, 1022 Pottstown Pike, West Chester, will present "The Greatest Story" in a free choral performance at the church at 7 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday.

At midpoint in Messiah, Handel wrote three successive choruses that show not only his gifts as dramatist, but also test any chorus moving through this spacious oratorio. The Philadelphia Singers, in the first of their holiday performances Saturday, found in these sections the basis for some of the best singing of the evening. David Hayes was leading the chamber choir and Concerto Soloists orchestra in a brisk and well-crafted reading, but when he began the second part, he and his singers moved up a level.

George Frideric Handel's Messiah is an annual musical must for many people, and has been for almost all of the 257 years since its first performance in Dublin in 1742. Professional and amateur groups in the Philadelphia area will be adding their own testaments to that tradition in the next couple of weeks. Some will perform complete versions, lasting close to three hours with 50 or more recitatives, arias and choruses. Some will pare that number down, according to the availability of soloists or limitations on time.

The sixth annual Messiah Sing-In, a community celebration of the season of Advent, will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday at First Presbyterian Church, 130 W. Miner St., West Chester. The event is part of "Column Classics," the church's fine arts series. Those wishing to sing in the Messiah chorus are asked to arrive at the church at 6:15 p.m. for rehearsal. Those who have a score are urged to bring it; scores will also be available at the church. In conjunction with the sing-in, the church is presenting an exhibit of paintings by Wyndham Porter.

It was not something you see every day at Sixth and Chestnut Streets: dozens of ordinary citizens, holding babies or skateboarding or talking on the phone, floating heavenward past Independence Hall. True, the image was just an ad from Jews for Jesus in Thursday's Inquirer, but it was a grabber. So was the message. "OK, you're in downtown Philadelphia when suddenly, BAM! It's Judgment Day," read the text. "Let's face it, this would be a really bad time to finally realize Jesus is the Messiah.