HEAVENLY HOBBIES Today, we continue our intermittent series about the clergy and their hobbies, in which we go behind the collars and learn about their favourite pastimes.

Rave in the nave he does not, but the former rhythm guitarist of the South East London Jump Company knows a thing or two about trendy music, including skiffle, rock 'n' roll and jazz.

As rector of St. John's parish church in Pembroke, Father Brian Melbourne is also a believer in contemporary church music, and has played his beloved 12-string guitar during regular worship services.

And why not? A guitarist since the age of 11, his present instrument was a gift from the congregation in Newfoundland where he was ordained 10 years ago this week.

From the age of seven, when he became a chorister in his local church, music has been an integral part of Father Melbourne's life. By age 11 he had advanced to boy soloist at the same time he began learning to the play the guitar.

"I learned by standing behind one of the players in a Boy Scout skiffle band,'' is how he describes his early training.

This ultimately led to two things: becoming rhythm guitarist for the South East London Jump Company, a jazz group, and marriage, thanks to being one half of a folk team.

"What happened was, the vicar asked me and a young lady named Gillian Rothwell, who is now my wife, if we would consider singing together. I was 17 and she was 15, so we formed a folk duet, singing at church functions in the local area. In fact, we kept singing until we were in our 30s!'' he related.

Born in London on April 30, 1945 -- "the same day Hitler committed suicide'' -- Father Melbourne describes his musical tastes as "broad''.

As a teenager he was as familiar with skiffle music, rock 'n' roll and jazz as he was with church music. As a singer, at age 19 he successfully auditioned as a first tenor with the London Philharmonic choir.

Performing under such internationally renowned conductors as Sir Adrian Boult and William Walton, the young tenor had the thrill of participating in a Promenade Concert at London's Royal Albert Hall and also Westminster Abbey's 900th anniversary celebrations -- experiences he described as "never to be forgotten''.

Emigrating to Canada in 1966 with his family, the former bank and travel agency employee pursued a career in computers, first as a systems programmer, next as a systems analyst, and finally as a systems manager in a bank and then a university.

He resumed singing first with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir directed by Elmer Iseler, and then became choirmaster of a Presbyterian church in rural Ontario in 1974.

But then God called and the now-married Brian Melbourne finally listened. "If God has plans for you to be called as one of his ministers, I have the feeling God gets you in the end,'' is how the cleric describes his decision to set aside his business career and enter the ministry.

While his studies allowed no time for pursuing music until after his ordination, Father Melbourne promptly formed a choir at his first church in Ontario, and drafted his wife and three daughters in as the nucleus.

Since arriving in Bermuda, he has joined the Geoffrey Tankard Foundation choir and the Bermuda Philharmonic Society (of which he is currently president) and has also sung in restaurants.

"Just one week after coming here, I was eating in the Hog Penny with my wife and daughter Paula. The entertainer knew the chords of a song but not the words. I said I knew them and he handed me the microphone. Eventually, my wife and daughter joined me,'' is how he describes this debut.

Since then, Father Melbourne has also sung -- spontaneously -- at the Flying Chef.

"It's tremendous fun,'' he assures. "While some people might not agree that this is the kind of thing a clergyman ought to be doing, these days most people seem to think it's all right. There is something to be said for having experiences outside the confines of churchwork. Some clergy try to be holier than Jesus, but He was a unique blend of divinity and humanity, so as a clergyman I must not lose touch with human realities.'' Equally at home with church music, Father Melbourne not only sings such things as choral works and Gregorian chants but has also written the music for an entire mass, the theme hymn for the Anglican Church of Bermuda's Forward in Faith crusade, and composes hymns -- either words or music, or both.

This year alone he has written two hymns, one upon request for the divinity convocation at Queen's College in St. John's, Newfoundland. Another has been submitted to the Anglican Church of Canada, which is working on a new hymn book.

In fact, Father Melbourne loves hymns so much that he is currently planning a festival entitled New Praise for February 14, 1993 at which 12 new or unfamiliar hymns will be introduced.

"Hopefully, it will result in them being used around the Island,'' he says.

"Churches tend to be quite slow in getting on to new things so I think it is a worthwhile initiative. In my ministry, I place a high priority on preaching and music -- with varying degrees of success!'' He also arranges and conducts an annual hymn festival, which he describes as "part concert and part worship''.

Small wonder, then, that his hymn book collection, which includes contemporary song books, now stands at 19.

Not one to sit still, Father Melbourne is presently in the midst of organising two concerts to celebrate St. Cecilia's Festival. The first, on November 21, will take place at St. Monica's Church and feature his close friend Father Peter Orme on organ and with Miss Ann Wright, who is Father Orme's fiancee, on flute.

The second concert, on November 22 at St. John's church, will feature the Geoffrey Tankard Foundation chamber choir (including Father Melbourne), conducted by Mr. Graham Garton, in a performance of Dvorak's Mass in D major.

Blessed with three daughters, Claire, Paula and Lisa, all of whom he says have "lovely voices'', Father Melbourne surprised his wife on their 25th anniversary with the gift of a short anthem which was sung for the first time by the choir of St. John's during a special thanksgiving mass which the couple held there.

In addition to conducting the marriage of his daughter Lisa to a Lithuanian in September, the proud father also chose all of the music. It included the Lithuanian national anthem and a medley of songs by Lennon and McCartney.

As if he were not busy enough, Father Melbourne has recently resumed piano studies with Mr. Garton after a five-year lapse.

"If I can get to grade six level at my age I'll be quite pleased with myself,'' he declares.

MUSICAL MEMORIES -- Father Brian Melbourne fingers the 12-string guitar given to him by his congregation when he became an ordained Anglican priest on November 4, 1982. A musician since boyhood, the London-born cleric pursues his hobby wherever he goes.