Music & Arts Ministries Blog

Theology of the Arts

2010-07-12T05:04:00.000-07:00

Thinking about articulating a theology of the arts and found a couple books and a video whose contents are accessible on line (i.e., one can click on and read their chapters or view online). I do not necessarily recommend these titles or authors (yet), just posting them for my own reference and to get comments from others.

Do you know of other or what you consider better works on this topic?

by Richard Viladesau, 2000, Paulist Press
Theology and the arts: encountering God through music, art, and rhetoric

by Anthony Monti, 2003, Ashgate Publishing
A natural theology of the arts: imprint of the spirit

Also, a video clip:

Jeremy Begbie, Duke University
See Video

More Arts Feedback 2010

2010-07-08T05:14:00.001-07:00

Thanks for being proactive in the area of music! We probably need a larger critical mass of music folks to do some of the bigger things that you probably would like to do. Maybe survey some of the worship music used at some of the larger churches that we have visited recently and try integrating a few into our music. My suggestions are along the line of continued trying new things and discovering the style that resonates with MG. Don't have any issues with our programs.

Submitted by Martin Brittingham, Sr.

More Arts Feedback 2010

2010-07-08T05:13:00.000-07:00

l love the worship music. It is refreshing to my spirit each week. Each team brings something new to the table.

Submitted by Peggy Laney

More Arts Feedback 2010

2010-07-01T05:43:00.000-07:00

1. What new thing(s) would you like to see us do?

· Please consider the suggestions that are being sent in by all folks.
· Singing songs with the words- Blood of Jesus included. That is where the power is-in the Blood. (warfare)
· Choir sing more on Sundays. Maybe a worship musical later on in the fall or winter.
· Use the banner ministry in services. Have a teaching on this by Carol Worth or someone.
· Have a teaching on dancing before the Lord in songs.
· Song words displayed on the screen in back of the sanctuary when funds become available soon.
· Prayer time during practice. Pray for past relationships and hurts to be mended. Maybe Pastor Steve could come and pray with choir sometime.
· Fellowship and getting connected(emails/phone #’s)
· Choir or those willing to lead a jubilant praise and worship time on Wednesday night during the prayer time.
· Mission Outreach into the community with praise and worship.
· Don’t be timid to use more upbeat songs-contemporary
· Encouragement to the congregation to join the choir.

Have a moments or ministry, sign up tables outside, heavy finger foods to welcome them and returning choir members in the fellowship hall in the fall.

2. What would you like to see continued?

· Continue to alternate the teams and maybe having choir lead worship/sing anthem every other Sunday.
· Using the Planning Center to notify practices and songs.

3. What would you like to see changed?

Encourage/use more people who have a desire and passion to help lead worship on the worship teams. God commands us to use our talents, whether one, five, or ten talents. This also gives some ownership to the body of Christ as members are encouraged. Pastor Steve had a sermon awhile back on our passion in ministry.

On the worship team and choir, some voices have been louder than others. Blend and use the voices-even vibratos.

Practice more anthem songs instead of just one on the Thursday night we practice to be more prepared.

I read the blog and many of the suggestions are good. I had one more thought about one suggestions made with contacting Bill Saffo to do a ministry outreach downtown—Call Joey Gore and maybe their choir could join us at a time they are free.

Submitted by Nida Langston

More Arts Feedback 2010

2010-07-01T05:30:00.000-07:00

[G]et invovlved with the puppet ministry. They are having a Portcitypuppetfesival.com event here. It is going to be a huge one. It is the 17th of July right here in Wilmington. The director of Stage Works theater is the head of this festival. She does alot of technical stage drama arts here in Wilmington. Thought that Beth from the children's minisrty would like to go see what this is all about. Maybe we could learn about puppets too.

If interests peek up,,,, Maybe we could be the support for a new ministry of puppets here. by doing future graphic scenes for this puppet ministry and provide the sound etc. for puppet skits, at the church here. The director of this festival is really nice and we could learn alot about her tech, skills as a visual artist and drama skills and her bio. too! You would love to hear her story. She does a lot of shadowing visual drama behind a silk screen stage backdrop.

You may have heard of the Stageworks theater company?? Well she has all kinds of props that she uses to give the visual effect for the plays she does. She was the director of the "Lion the witch and the wordrobe " that was done at Thailian Hall recently. in May. ?? I would love to have you meet her. She said she would come and talk and share some of her talent and gifts of how she does her talent and etc of what the drama and visual arts means to her. She has also performed on stage at Thailain Hall in big plays there as just an actor for the theater there. She is one of our favorites for director's. Back to the puppet festival,,,,,,,, There is a parade here at 9AM. Saturday starting form the community art's building to advertise the puppet festival etc coming soon in July. I might go the parade or be in it. give me your thoughts till later. She said that she would be available after the festival is over.

Submitted by Cymmy Leach

Arts Fellowship Comments

2010-07-01T05:24:00.000-07:00

These thoughts came in from one of the participants in the recent Arts Fellowship:

1.I haven’t listened to Steve’s (Curtis) talk yet, but I was hoping to hear his testimony of how God developed his gift of writing and composing. Not sure what to add at this time…I know eventually, we will run out of people to have speak and play, so we will have to think of something to do together-plan worship arts classes or jam sessions,concerts, ministry? Will keep thinking about that.

2. I think it is healthy for artists to exercise music they have learned or written in front of other people. Not only does it boost one’s confidence again, it teaches us to tame the fright factor and channel it into the piece they are playing-the feedback is also valuable. Plus, its fun to hear other people play. You hear songs you might know and different interpretations of them-broadens your musical ears.

Name withheld until permission is granted

More Arts Feedback 2010

2010-07-01T05:15:00.000-07:00

1. What new things(s) would you like to see us do?

a. Increase the diversity of the music to reflect different musical types, much like your “Arts Fellowship” seminars. We have tons of individual talent at our church that we could utilize for special music. We could have designated Sunday music types. For instance we could have a Gospel Sunday with good old time gospel music. I believe a Sunday of Jewish Music both traditional and some Contemporary would be well received. Maybe we could somehow tie it to an activity with the church body.

b. I enjoyed singing with our youth and would like to see us do that again. I think by doing songs together, there may be more future involvement in the choir.

c. It would be nice to have some more a cappella pieces.

2. What would you like to see continued?

a. I have enjoyed singing with the Praise Bands and hope we continue that.

3. What would you like to see changed?

a. Without sounding too critical, many of our choir practices contain too much time trying to determine which verses and endings to sing. Can this be decided prior to practice so the information is already added to our music? Instrument tuning and sound should also at least be 90% adjusted. Music should be checked for correct key so we do not get half way through a song to discover not everyone has the music in the same key. All of these should be considered precursors prior to a successful Choir Practice. [I accept the blame and take the responsibility for making any needed changes to these things - Dan S].

b. Our Choir resources are limited in number. The music chosen should be considered based on who will be available to sing. Some of the special music seems too complicated for such a small group. As you know, we constantly key off each other for those parts we are weakest. If we have no one to key on, nothing comes out of the mouth.

c. Add additional lead time for special music to learn parts.

4. What would you like to see discontinued?

a. Can we put up the music from the Glorious Day Musical for a while?

5. Other?

a. Our church has invested in a really nice sound system and many times it sounds inferior, even when I am not participating, but in the body worshipping. [We] might [need] installation of additional speakers, sound suppressors/dampeners in the back to reduce echo, or other recommendations.

Submitted by James Potter

More Arts Feedback 2010

2010-07-01T05:11:00.000-07:00

1. What new thing(s) would you like to see us do?

Would like to call my friend Bill Saffo and arrange an outdoor Christian concert down town by water, get donations to help with expense. I think we could touch some lives. I could bring in some musicians and get some national bands as well.

Submitted by Pete Vinal

Arts Ministry Feedback Request

2010-07-01T05:06:00.000-07:00

I recently asked arts ministries participants to give me feedback on four topics:

1. What new thing(s) would you like to see us do?
2. What would you like to see continued?
3. What would you like to see changed?
4. What would you like to see discontinued?
5. Other?

As these ideas comes in, I will post these under the topic 'Arts feedback 2010.' To see all of these, click on Arts feedback 2010 in the right column of the blog under Labels. I've given those who make comments permission to either withhold or disclose their name.

Benefit Concerts as Outreach

2010-06-15T03:09:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about outreach and the arts. It occurred to me that artists often put on concerts to benefit causes they wish to support. For example, a group of musicians recently re-recorded the song We Are the World to raise money for the victims of the recent Haiti earthquake.

One idea that has occurred to me is to find a local cause that is both worthy of benefit and important to the larger community. Two examples might be Honor Flights and Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry. Another local choir is already doing benefit concerts for WARM. I spoke with the coordinator of Honor Flights the other day. He is open to such an event.

Looking for Ideas to Combine Outreach, Youth and the Arts

2010-06-15T03:01:00.000-07:00

I'm currently thinking about incorporating outreach into the arts and about how to actively involve youth in the arts. I'm wondering if all three might be combined.

I found a worship musical called Help Is On the Way that might be a suitable tool. We've discussed among the staff the idea of going into a nearby neighborhood to minister. Beth J has taken a team into the Royal Palms neighborhood already.

My next step, I think, is to speak with Michael and Jud about getting the youth involved and even serving as the core of music group this time. They're busy right now getting ready for their trips to Betel in NYC, so it may have to wait awhile, but we can still make plans for the future.

Arts Fellowship

2010-06-15T02:50:00.000-07:00

In May, we held our first arts fellowship with about a dozen attendees from several churches. Some heard about it on the radio, others received my email invitation.

Violinist Beverly Andrews spoke about her involvement as the current concertmaster with the Wilmington Symphony, about playing for local weddings and memorial services and as a teacher of younger students. At every turn, she demonstrated some of the types of playing she does to our delight. She especially emphasized the importance of practicing her instrument and being prepared for the events she plays and encouraged others to do the same in whatever field of the arts.

We held a short informational meeting with the entire group and decided to format our meetings with 30 minutes for the opening presentation by one artist followed by 60 minutes in small groups and planned to meet once a month.

Since our numbers were relatively small, we met altogether in one small group in another room. In the process, we discovered that we had quite a number of writers, quite a few performers and one visual artist. Each person took a turn to tell a little about their work or read a few selections or show some of their work.

One of the members told how he has published his work through Amazon and has sold many copies in several places throughout the world. He spent a few minutes explaining the process of preparing a manuscript for publication through Amazon.

Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, June 17. Steve Curtis will be our featured speaker.

Answers to Questions About Arts Fellowship Groups

2010-05-01T06:18:00.000-07:00

Following are a few points to clarify some questions you may have regarding the arts fellowship groups concept.

1. What if I feel that I may not be "good enough" to participate in a group? We expect there to be ALL skill levels within the group, from beginnners to professionals. Those who are beginners would not be considered inferior. This is NOT an American Idol - type competition! In fact, it is not a competition AT ALL. Rather, those who are more highly skilled, would be expected by the leaders to encourage those who are just beginning in their craft. An esprit de corps will develop in this group over time so that those who are more skilled or more mature in Christ will be the biggest rooting section for those who are new to the craft or newer in Christ.

2. Would it be okay if I simply observed one of the groups before participating actively in the group? Yes! You would be able to come and observe a group to see what they're doing and to see if you might fit in that group before making a commitment to the group. For example, if you are a performer of some type, you might come to several meetings of the performing artists group to hear and enjoy others' playing, singing, acting, speaking, etc., and listen to the discussion. In time, you might feel you'd like to share something you've been working on.

3. Would I have to present some of my work every time we meet? No. You would choose when you are ready to present something to the group. You may need to work on something several months before you feel it's ready to present to the group. Then again, you may want to present a partial or in-process part of your work to let others hear or see how it's developing.

4. Will others critique or give me feedback on my work? That is optional. You may choose each time whether or not to receive feedback from the members of the group. There are various ways feedback can be received. One of the more common forms is through short written comments from all the participants in the group who see or hear your work that evening. There are other forms as well. Each group will develop its own methods for feedback if desired.

5. Will the groups ever come together as a whole bringing all the arts members together into one place? Yes! There will be times when we want to simply have fellowship all together, just for a fun event. Or there may be an inter-disciplinary or inter-arts presentation or event that we'd all want to see or hear together. Or we may come together to put on an arts festival for the community. The sky is the limit!!!

6. Will there be genuine Christian fellowship and inspiration at these meetings or will they be just task-oriented? There will be a definite spiritual orientation with a group devotional time and time for fellowship built into every gathering. It will function more like a small group meeting than a rehearsal.

Do you have other questions or comments? If so, use the space below or email me at dan@myrtlegrove.org. Thanks.

Arts Fellowship Groups

2010-05-01T05:20:00.000-07:00

I'm interested in forming four creative arts fellowship groups or "guilds" at MG made up of people with similar interests, skills and passions. These groups or guilds would meet once a month initially for mutual encouragement in your craft and your Christian life. These groups would be organized around various sub-groups of the creative arts.

The four groups would be:

1) VISUAL ARTS such as painting, sculpture, jewelry, pottery, etc - these are primarily decorative arts;

2) DESIGN ARTS such as architecture, landscaping, stagecraft, furniture, webpage design, etc - these are primarily functional art forms;

3) PERFORMING ARTS such as singing, dancing, playing instruments, acting, speaking, etc. - these are primarily presentational art forms; and,

4) LITERARY ARTS - writing arts such as poetry, prose, songwriting, etc.

For example, the writers' group would get together to share their latest writing projects with one another each month in an effort to encourage each other to keep writing and to help one another to improve their writing skills and try new forms of writing.

The performing arts group would get together to share songs, skits, dances, etc they are working on to encourage each other to keep practicing and learning and to improve their technical skills and confidence in performing.

The design group would gather to share their latest designs and the results of those designs thru photos or field trips to see a landscape, piece offurniture show building they designed.

The visual arts group would gather to show and discuss their lastest painting, drawing, piece of jewelry, pottery or bead work or sculpture.

I'm suggesting the idea of four simultaneous meetings on the 4th Thursday night of each month here at the church beginning in May. I'm not sure how we'd navigate the summer, but we may simply have our inaugural meeting in May, do some activites or meals together during the summer then resume meetings again in the fall. I'm open. My aim is for our artists to be encouraged both in the art and in their Christian life together.

If you have an interest in any of these groups or would be willing to help faciliate a group, please let me know. Also, tell your friends about this!

Seeking God's Presence in Corporate Worship

2010-04-24T06:58:00.000-07:00

Over the past several months, Pastor Steve has been encouraging the musical worship leaders to intentionally seek God's presence among us as we lead the congregation in worship. As we've led from week to week, one of the things we've done more of lately is to "linger" in worship. That is, we have taken time between songs to do several kinds of things. We are doing these in part, as an antidote to falling into the rut of simply going through the song list and then moving on to the next thing. We are seeking to wait on the Lord, to hear from the Lord, to respond to the presence of the Lord from moment to moment as we worship rather than just at the conclusion of the singing. One of these ways is to sing spontaneous songs using either a chord progression from the previous song or a newly formed chord progression. Often we try to use a progression from the previous song so that those who are more unfamiliar with spontaneous singing might be able continue singing the chorus, verse or bridge of the previous song while others sing a more spontaneous song. Sometimes, we simply wait quietly while one of the instrumentalists plays gently. Sometimes, members of the congregation respond in worship during the singing through raising of hands, dance, movement or processional (e.g., Palm Sunday). Sometimes, the congregation will respond by coming forward to stand or kneel. Sometimes, the Pastors will invite those who would like prayer for healing or for other needs to come forward during or immediately after the time of singing rather than waiting till the prayer for wholeness at the conclusion of the service. All these are efforts by the Pastors and music leaders to seek and respond to the presence of the Lord moment by moment as we worship as a congregation.

Wednesday nights feature an even more free-flowing, unstructured time of worship, prayer, ministry and teaching. The focus, however, is similar to that on Sunday morning - seeking the presence of God among us. We generally begin with a time of worship through singing led by one or two of our worship leaders on the piano or guitar. This is generally followed by a time of extended prayer that takes many forms - sometimes intercessory for those outside the church such as the nation or region or its leaders, sometimes for those inside the church and its ministries, sometimes for those in attendance for healing or other needs. This time of prayer is often "accompanied" by instrumental music and sometimes punctuated by a song or songs that express the current theme of the prayers being prayed or ministry taking place. Recently Pastor Steve has been doing more teaching on Wednesday night. More about that in the next blog.

Plans for Music Ministry 2010

2010-04-03T04:17:00.000-07:00

I feel a true sense of excitement and anticipation for what God is going to do in our midst. I’m thankful for the elders, Jim Glasgow and Steve Mattis - for inviting me back to join the team and appointing me to serve in revitalizing the arts ministry at MG. In so doing, they realized a dream I’ve held for many years – to serve as both a pastor and to utilize my gifts in the arts - at MG and through MG to the surrounding region and beyond. My heart’s desire is to equip others to serve in the arts ministry in the local church and through the local church to reach and serve the communities in which they live. When, throughout the ‘90s, I considered attending seminary, my hope was to return and do just that. I pray that I will be faithful in that calling and ask you to pray for me to that end.

So what should the arts ministry of MG look like in the 21st century and what should be its impact? I suggest three non-negotiables: 1) it should have its roots firmly in Scripture and be directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit; 2) it should reflect the relational diversity and unity of the Trinity and the Body of Christ; and, 3) it should communicate in terms and forms that are understood by the culture it is trying to reach.

1. Rooted in Scripture and directed by the Holy Spirit – in arts ministry. We embrace both Scripture and the Holy Spirit in our worship, “…we worship in Spirit and truth.”
a. Truth: Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” The truth is found in Jesus himself and in Scripture, the Word of God, which is our foundation, our bedrock. Who we are and what we do should be guided by Him and his word, in ministry and all of life.
b. Spirit: the Holy Spirit, who is both the Spirit of Jesus and the Spirit of God, is the source of our spiritual life, our spiritual growth, our comforter, our guide, and the source of our gifts, power and wisdom for carrying out our ministry. We should follow the direction of Scripture and the Holy Spirit in our worship together.

2. Reflecting the diversity and unity of the Trinity and the Body of Christ – in arts ministry. John 17 and 1 Cor 12 teach us to live out both the diversity and unity of the Trinity in heaven and the body of Christ on earth.
a. The Trinity: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three persons yet one God, and Jesus prayed that we should be one just as He and the Father are one.
b. The Body of Christ: the Body of Christ has many members serving many functions, yet is still one body. Therefore, we should make every effort, with God’s help, to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace among us. This means that we should build one another up, prefer one another in love, refrain from gossip, forgive offenses readily and settle disagreements by going to one another individually in a spirit of love and reconciliation. And, as fellow artists, we should encourage one another’s gifts and strive to live in community with one another so that we can learn to love one another from the heart, maximize our strengths and minimize our weaknesses.

3. Communicating in language and forms understood by the culture we are trying to reach – in arts ministry. We should use worship language and worship forms that are familiar to the people we are trying to reach.
a. Language: Cultural studies in missions have taught us that people worship more fully when they do so in their own language. That is why missionaries like Doug and Beth Wright have spent their lives translating the Scriptures into other languages. Also, the apostle Paul, writing in 1 Corinthians 14, teaches us that we should use language that builds up the entire church. The use of other languages is appropriate as long as they are interpreted so all can understand and be edified.
b. Worship forms: Cultural studies in missions have shown that people of all cultures become most engaged in worship when they use godly forms that are more familiar to them. A negative example of this occurred during the late 1800s and early 1900s when missionaries working in China or Africa, for example, required national converts to adopt western forms of worship such as singing traditional European hymns in European languages. The nationals felt “out of their element” when doing so and were not able to be fully engaged in worship. However, in the late 20th century, missionaries began to encourage nationals to compose and sing worship songs in their own languages using music forms that were more familiar to their own culture. As a result, they were able to become more fully engaged in worship. We see this in churches in America and in our own church. Some of our people grew up in an earlier time when more so-called traditional forms were used and tend to engage more deeply in worship with those forms, while others came of age in more modern times and tend to engage more readily with modern forms. At Myrtle Grove, we seek to both “keep up with the times” by learning and using more modern worship language and forms and to “connect with the past” by adapting more traditional forms to modern culture. We should have the same attitude as Jesus when he said, “I have not come to be served but to serve” and the Apostle Paul when he wrote, “I become all things to all people that I might save some.” That is not to say that we will totally discard language and forms that are familiar to us, but that we will willingly adapt those forms so that others can more fully engage in worship with us.

Those are the non-negotiables in my view according to Scripture and reason. These inform and direct us in the church and in our ministry. Following are the specifics for the coming semester and year. As I’ve prayed and consulted with other leaders in the arts ministry as well as the pastors and elders, we believe the following should be our direction in the coming months. However, we know that God can and may redirect us along the way. When Paul sought to go into Asia, he had a vision from God that redirected him to Macedonia/Phillipi instead. Also, the writer of Proverbs tells us, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but the Lord directs his steps.” So, because of my background in science, I like to think of our plans as experiments. We’re experimenting to find the best way to do things at this point in time. We’re not locked in to anything we try. We don’t have to do things the same way all the time, and some things must change when new people come in or people are sent out. For example, Nathan Storey has been called to serve at North Grove, so that may require a change at Myrtle Grove. We can make other changes as we go if it’s not working. So, like the weather in Wilmington, if you don’t like it right now, wait around, it’ll change. We’re trying to do our best to both “equip people for their work of ministry” and release people into ministry in such a way that our strengths are maximized and our weaknesses are minimized for everyone’s good and God’s glory. However, in order to function as a family of artists we need some guidelines so that everyone can have the same expectations.

In 1 Chronicles 25 we discover that in the ministry of the temple, the musicians were appointed by King David: 1) to minister to the Lord and lead the people in worship through prophecy and music; 2) to serve under authority (he appointed some to be overseers under his direct authority and others to be under their authority); 3) to be trained and become skilled; 4) to serve, young and old – teacher and student - together; and, 5) to serve on a rotation basis. All godly kings of Israel and Judah after David returned to this model when they took the throne. We use this as a model for our ministry at MG. Presently, I serve under the authority of the Elders/Session and Pastor Steve. Pastor Steve and I meet with the worship leaders on a regular basis to plan, pray for and organize the arts ministry. I recently spent a weekend with the worship leaders to plan and pray for the coming year. Following are the results of that gathering. Our hope and prayer is that this will most glorify God and edify the believers at MG in the coming year.

1. Ministry to the Lord and leading the people in worship

a. Minimum expectations for worship leaders/service planners
i. Post the service you are leading on Planning Center and send out invitations to the participants two weeks in advance of the service
ii. For example, if the service is Sunday, February 21, invitations should go out no later than Sunday February 7

b. Minimum expectations for all musicians
i. Upon receiving an invitation to participate in a rehearsal and service via Planning CenterOnline.com
1. Respond (click on Accept or Decline) in 2-3 days (no later than Wednesday) so that the leaders will know if they need to get a substitute for you
2. If you’re not sure, send us an email telling the leaders when you’ll be sure
ii. Before attending rehearsal
1. Listen to all music to be rehearsed at least one time through
2. Download and print out all music to be rehearsed except pre-printed choir music
iii. During rehearsal
1. Listen attentively to the rehearsal director
2. Make accurate notes of sections you are to play, sing or rest
3. Sing or play your part to the best of your ability
iv. Before the service
1. Listen to all music you are playing or singing one more time through
2. Look over all your music one more time making note of sections you are to play, sing or rest
v. During the service
1. Humbly give yourself body and soul to praise God and edify the body of Christ
2. Sing, play or rest your part to the best of your ability in a manner that complements the other singers and players
3. When you make a mistake (we all make ‘em!), forgive yourself, smile and keep going.
4. Give thanks to God for the opportunity to serve
vi. Since we normally hold only one rehearsal per service, rehearsal attendance is required in order to sing or play in a service
vii. If you don’t know how to use Planning Center to respond, listen and download, or want to learn more, attend a Planning Center workshop.

2. Serving under the protection of spiritual authority
a. I will meet with Pastor Steve on a weekly basis and with the Session on a monthly basis to plan, pray for and evaluate worship services and practices
b. Worship leaders will meet with Pastors Steve and me on a quarterly basis for Saturday breakfast or more often as needed
c. Worship leaders for the initial period are Dean Hewett, Beth Sonnenberg, Jud Smith and Peter Mattis

3. Serving young and old together on a rotation basis
a. Teams and groups for the beginning of 2010
i. All participants as a whole on a given Sunday - whether worship leaders, vocal leaders, band members, vocal team, choir, orchestra, dance, drama, visual artists - will be called “the worship team” because you are all part of the worship leading team
ii. Bands and vocal leaders will remain much the same as last year, but because we are short on instrumentalists and long on singers we will go to three (3) bands instead of four (4) rotating every three (3) weeks
iii. A new vocal team made up of singers from Dan/Steve’s team and returning worship leaders will be joined to Jud’s team rotating every three weeks
iv. The choir and orchestra will be joined to Dean/Beth’s team rotating every three weeks
v. Other creative arts teams and individuals (dance, drama, visual arts, youth, children, soloists, ensembles, etc) will be joined to Peter’s band on a rotating basis
vii. A list of qualified substitutes will also be developed and distributed to the worship leaders

4. Training and skill development

a. Training and development for new people coming into the ministry
i. A get-together with the ministry leader to discuss your intention to serve
ii. A required one-day 2-3 hour intensive DVD-based workshop on the basics of serving in the arts ministry
iii. A period of service as a substitute before becoming a full member of a team as determined by ministry leaders
v. And /or a period of service in the children’s or youth’s arts ministry prior to serving in adult music ministry
v. Pairing with a mentor for 6-12 months
vi. Other required DVD-based workshops during the mentoring period according to your ministry area
vii. Accountability by your mentor and ministry leaders to maintain the basic standards in rehearsals/services

b. Training and development for returning members
i. A get-together with the ministry leader to discuss your reasons for leaving and intentions for serving
ii. Required DVD-based workshop(s) to “catch up” in your ministry area

c. Training and development for returning worship leaders
i. A get-together with the ministry leader to discuss your reasons for leaving and intentions for serving
ii. A period of 3-12 months of service as a non-leader to prove willingness to serve before leading
iii. A get-together with the ministry leader at the conclusion of service period to discuss your new leadership role
iv. Required DVD-based workshop(s) according to ministry area determined by ministry leaders

d. Training and development for current members
i. Required DVD-based workshop(s) as they are offered on Sunday mornings at 9:45 according to your ministry area
ii. Other optional DVD-based workshops will be offered on Sunday mornings at 9:45
iii. Optional guest artist events will be offered on Sunday mornings at 9:45 and possibly Friday nights featuring some of you as well as outside visiting artists and artists from our community

e. Rehearsal locations and times
i. All rehearsals will be on Tuesday evenings except when they run into holidays
ii. All rehearsals will be in either the sanctuary, music room or both
iii. The Tuesdays Dean/Beth’s band is in the sanctuary, the choir will be in the music room
iv. The Tuesdays Jud’s band is in the sanctuary, the vocal team will be in the music room
v. The Tuesdays Peter’s band is in the sanctuary, the orchestra will be in the music room preparing for the following week
vi. Sometimes, the vocal team, choir or orchestra will join the band in the sanctuary
vii. Other times, the vocal team, choir or orchestra will not join the band until Sunday

f. Using Praise Charts with band, choir and orchestra
i. This is our best tool currently for including choir and orchestra with our bands
ii. But we don’t have to be limited to using the charts in the order exactly as written
iii. Choir and orchestra members should note where verses, chorus and bridge are located in their score
iv. Choir and orchestra should practice jumping around from section to section so that worship leaders can follow the leading of the Spirit in worship

g. Audio operations
i. Some of our worship leaders and musicians will be trained to operate the sound board in order to help Jeff
ii. Musicians are often very good audio operators since they understand music vocals and instrumentals and can hear the “mix” of all the parts

h. Use of In-ear monitors for bands
i. Band members should practice putting in the mix only what you need to hear to sing or play well; most don’t need to hear every part
ii. We should encourage the use of in-ear monitors once again and use fewer stage monitors to provide the best sound for the congregation
iii. We should get rid of headphones if at all possible since they make us look like Mickey Mouse

i. Congregational training in learning new songs and growing in worship expression
i. Congregation learning new songs
1. Currently, we teach new songs strictly as preservice and offertories when the congregation is not expected to sing along but can just listen. Our goal is to let them hear new songs enough times in these settings that they will feel comfortable singing along and worshiping freely in the main worship times
2. Other ideas to help them learn new songs
a. Post a list of CDs including Sunday’s songs on the website
b. Teach them a whole group of new songs over a weekend in preparation for making a “live” worship recording
ii. Congregation growing in worship expression
1. Wednesday night prayer services are very “experimental” right now, using a variety of forms of worship not currently used on Sundays.
2. I hope that many of you will join us and that this will overflow into our Sunday worship times

j. Fellowship and ministry among arts members
i. My deep desire is to develop a “community of artists” at MG who gather together regularly to enjoy Christian fellowship with one another and to encourage one another in their art.
ii. Last semester, I offered an artists’ “class” on Sunday mornings in the fellowship hall that included vocalists, instrumentalists, writers and visual artists. We studied and discussed Rory Noland’s book, The Heart of the Artist. About a dozen attended regularly. It was a start, but I’m not satisfied.
1. This semester, I’d like to alternate two things on Sunday mornings:
a. Paul Baloche’s DVD-based worship workshops on various topics including Leading Worship: Creating Flow; Worship Vocal Workshop; Worship Band Workshop; Music Styles; Music Theory Made Easy; Acoustic Guitar; Electric Guitar; and, Writing Worship Songs. Each video will run two to three weeks, so they’ll be like mini-seminars. We’ll announce them in advance so you can make plans to attend.
b. Between the mini-seminars, I’d like to offer Featured Artist Events as mentioned above. Some of you and other artists in our church would be invited to share their art with us from 9:45 – 10:45 on Sundays in Fellowship Hall. Maybe Kim and Travis Price would be willing to sing and play for us, or Steve Curtis or Nathan Storey could share some of the songs they’ve written or Anne Blackley could share some of her paintings, or someone else could read some of their poetry. Maybe if this is well-received we could do some of these events on Friday nights simultaneous with or after Family Game Night. Maybe a “coffee house” of sorts could develop using gifted artists from our own body.
c. To pull this off, I’ll need some help on the fellowship side of things. Would you be willing to help set up/decorate the room in a creative way to make it a special event for all or provide refreshments for that morning?
2. Another fellowship that someone suggested is to plan a quarterly non-arts event (like bowling) quarterly for the artists to just go out and do something fun together. Would you be willing to coordinate such an event or group of events?
3. Another “way out there” idea for you to consider and pray about with me. Could we take a group of musicians to Haiti this summer to work on construction and recovery from the earthquake in the daytime and minister in music in the evenings? I was part of a team that did this in Guatemala after the earthquake in 1976. It was hard work but it was a blast and very rewarding. What do you think?

k. Care ministry for our fellow artists in times of need
i. We need those who can help us stay in touch with people in the arts ministry who have needs. We need those with the gift of communication and information. Would you be willing to be a contact person and keep other members updated for us?
ii. We need those who can send cards, make meals and fill in the gap in other ways. We need those with the gifts of helps and service. Would you be willing to help in this way?
iii. We need those who can help coordinate these efforts who have a gift of administration or leadership. Would you be willing to help in this way?

Thank you again for your participation in the arts ministry at MG and for your continued prayers for us as we seek to lead, equip and release all who serve together here.