Dudley Cottingham never thought of church as purely a place to worship, it also represented family.

He was a choirboy at St James Church in Westbrook, Kent.

“We had a great time,” the 64-year-old said. “The young people would meet in the church hall and play snooker and listen to Beatles records.

“There was an assistant to the vicar and he would take us sometimes to play volleyball on the beach or on different outings so it was a great way of meeting people, having fun, and we all enjoyed the singing and the fellowship.”

In those early days Mr Cottingham was a soprano; once his voice broke he moved on to the bass section of the choir.

That’s where he sits today, at St Mark’s Anglican Church.

The Smith’s choir will perform with Holy Trinity Choir as part of ‘A Celebration of Candlemas in Music and Prayer’ at St Mark’s tomorrow at 6pm.

“I’ve always enjoyed evening services like this,” Mr Cottingham said.

“Sometimes in England when I sang as a boy we would go out to certain services and do evensong and it’s so special, especially if you have candles.

“It creates a wonderful atmosphere. It’s very peaceful and tranquil and you learn more about how this special day came to be.”

Candlemas is a Catholic holiday that typically falls on February 2 — 40 days after Christmas.

It has important Biblical significance and commemorates the ritual purification of Mary 40 days after the birth of her son, Jesus.

It also marks the ritual presentation of the baby Jesus to God in the temple at Jerusalem.

“Candlemas involves quite a lot of singing and the lighting of candles and there will be an opening prayer by Father Musa Daba,” Mr Cottingham said.

“There will be a few Bible readings from the Gospel of Luke, a Gaelic blessing, and a solo of Ava Maria by Peter Nash. The event will end with the choir singing the Lord’s Prayer, and Father Musa talking about the meaning of Candlemas.”

There will also be a special collection passed around in an effort to raise money for the church’s stained glass windows, now in need of repair.

Mr Cottingham moved to Bermuda in 1977, two years after qualifying as a chartered accountant in England.

He did not have a church home on the island for many years, but that changed when he met the St Mark’s organist.

“I got to talking with Jean Motyer about choirs and I told her I sang in a choir as a child and she said, ‘Right, come and see me’,” Mr Cottingham recalled.

“I thought it would be fun to sing again. She heard me and said, ‘OK, you’re in. You will join the bass’. That got me singing with Peter Nash, who’s a gifted singer and known on the island and he took me under his wing and it was great fun.

“Because we are now lacking tenors in the choir, Peter will sing the tenor parts and leave me to sing the bass parts which is a bit daunting, but I manage.

“Peter also introduced me to Bermuda Chamber Choir and I’ve been involved with them for several years now and done quite a few concerts with them along the way.”

He said the biggest challenge was blending his voice with all the others. The golden rule with choral singing is not to have your voice stand out or be too loud or too soft.

“You want to be in tune with the other voices,” he said. “That means you have to listen as well as sing. That’s really the idea because you need to build this harmony together with the organ, then you get a lovely sound.”

Mr Cottingham said his passion for the Church goes far beyond his role with the choir. His faith has taught him values and given him a “wonderful code to live by”.

“I try to live my life with those ideas in mind and try to be caring and compassionate and not be selfish,” he said. “I’ve learnt over the years that the person who gives gets more than the person who receives. That’s certainly true with my work with various local charities such as the Lions Club, WindReach and Bermuda Society for the Blind. When I reach out to others it’s amazing the kind of reward you can get.”

There are more and more messages in our culture that push us to put ourselves first, Mr Cottingham added.

“If something is wrong we look for someone to blame or someone to sue for it, but our faith teaches us to think about others rather than yourself, to think about what’s actually important in life and seeing the wood from the trees.

“I love looking up at the night’s stars on a clear night. I enjoy dabbling in astronomy and that’s a great way of putting our lives into perspective. When things feel overwhelming to us and we think of the big picture and the creation and all the wonders that God has made, it definitely helps you to find more peace in your life. For me, church is the place I find that peace.

“It takes you away from the business of life into a place that’s a sanctuary.

“We have found it to be very much a community. The motto at the church is it’s not just a church, but a family and they certainly treat you that way; whatever your trials and tribulations are, there are people there to support you and pray for you.”