Rainbow Symphony Benefit Concert For Vandalized Mill Valley Church

The Community Church of Mill Valley will host a benefit concert, after being victim of vandals earlier this year.

This summer, the church was victimized twice after announcing its choice to officiate same-sex marriages. A church spokesperson told Patch, only a week after displaying a rainbow flag, its edges were defaced and smeared with grease. Then, a few weeks later, the flag was ripped down, stolen, and its sturdy metal holder left twisted and bent out of shape. Church members, astounded that this could happen in Mill Valley, notified the police, as well as local newspapers.

When the flag vandalism came to the attention of Richard Horan, Executive Director of the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony (BARS), he immediately empathized and wanted to help the church. 

On Sun., Jan. 12, 4pm, the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony will perform a benefit chamber concert at the Community Church of Mill Valley, 8 Olive Street at Throckmorton Ave. Tickets available now.
 
The church spokesperson explained in a press release, BARS musicians became interested and agreed to perform a concert at the church as soon as their regular fall season was over.

Because the church sanctuary cannot accommodate a full symphony orchestra, the plan evolved to a chamber concert that will feature a string quartet, a woodwind quintet and a mixed quintet performing music by Beethoven, Ireland, and Poulenc. 

If you’re wondering why a long-established church in wealthy Marin County would need a “benefit concert,” well, that’s a long story too.

Suffice it to say, that despite a proud history of accomplishments that includes building The Redwoods, a highly-regarded Mill Valley retirement center in 1970, running a low-cost daycare center in the ‘80s, aiding both civil rights workers in Mississippi and California farm workers in the ‘60s, plus helping feed the homeless in Marin for the last 15 years, the congregation today is much smaller than it once was.

Our historic brown-shingled church, built in 1929 amid a redwood grove, is quite beautiful but requires constant and expensive repairs in order to maintain it. This benefit concert arranged by the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony will help us maintain and preserve a much-loved Mill Valley landmark.