Worship Arts July August September 2022

July – August – September 2022

Transforming the World Through Worship

The Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts Celebrate!

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July-August-September 2022 Volume 67 Number 3

Inside this issue Dancing at the edge of mystery ......................... 5 Encountering mystery and then making it visible hopefully invites others to enter into the Holy of Holies. Setting the stage .................................................. 8 The point isn’t simp[ly to incorporate drama into the life of the church, it’s to help people grow in their faith through using their God-given creative gifts. Handbells for young and old(er) ...................... 10 Intentionaly including every age in worship is how a person learns to be a part of the body, learns to be in connection with others, and builds relationships. A dangerous business........................................ 12 We are in a dangerous business. We are playing with fire – the fire of that spark that has been placed in us by the Holy Spirit. The aging church choir...................................... 17 Fundamental vocal and physical concepts are useful for choirs of all ages, but especially for senior voices. No ‘I’ in team....................................................... 22 Churches are most effective in their ministry and outreach when the members of each team demonstrate humility, hunger, and smarts. Sacred movement from the inside out ............ 24 When we draw on our authority as liturgical dance ministers we find our divine right to proclaim in artistic form the Word of God. The gift of music ................................................. 34 In the beginning God created music ...

WorshipArts (lSSN08915288) is a publication to the members of The Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts. The Fellowship’s Calling We are Christians embracing God’s artistic gifts to create world transforming worship. Our Values Worship arts that lead to spiritual growth and faith formation. Relationships that lead to hospitality, fellowship, and nurture. Annual membership dues: Member PLUS : $100 (All member benefits for one person) Sustaining Member: $150 (Member PLUS and $50 contribution to Annual Fund) Church/Group Membership: $240 (Three Member PLUS memberships at the same church) Member BASIC: $75 ( WorshipArts and basic member benefits) Over 65 Member – BASIC: $75 ( WorshipArts and basic member benefits) Small Church Member: $75 (Avg. Worship Attendance under 100; Member PLUS benefits) Student Member: FREE (Member PLUS benefits) Join or renew online at UMFellowship.org/Join, or use form on page 33. Interim Executive Director Rights for reprinting articles in WorshipArts are retained by the individual authors. To get in touch with them, contact the editor. Contributions to WorshipArts, as well as ideas, are welcome and encouraged. Materials must be submitted by the 1st, two months prior to publication date (May 1 for July-August-September issue, August 1 for October-November-December issue, November 1 for January-February March issue, February 1 for April-May-June issue). WorshipArts Editorial Committee David Wiltse , Editor Emeritus 738 Clark Crossing SE Grand Rapids, MI 49506, dmwiltse@att.net (616) 724-4412 Tracy DePue Tom Taylor, Tom@UMFellowship.org, (412) 417-8283 PO Box 24787, Nashville, TN 37202, (615) 499-6390 email: info@UMFellowship.org Website: UMFellowship.org Direct all address changes to this office. Viewpoints expressed and materials included in WorshipArts are not necessarily endorsed by The Fellowship.

45 Yazoo Circle, Maumelle, AR 72113 (501) 944-3266, tracydepue@gmail.com Sara Collins, Reviews Coordinator 9324 Erie Tr., Shelby, MI 49455 (231) 861-4905, ssjcollins24@aol.com Rick Wiltse , Advertising Coordinator (269) 932-8151, worshipartsads@att.net

Also ... From the President ..........................................4 From the Editorial Committee .....................4 Thank you, Carla!........................................ 28 From the Interim Executive Director ..... 30 Fellowship Family updates ..................... 30 Reviews ....................................................... 31 Contacts .................................................... 33 Cover: Pexels image by cottonbro

Meet our new Executive Director!

D ear Friends, I am thrilled to intro duce Camisha Chambers as the new Executive Director of The Fellowship of United Method ists in Music and Worship Arts! Your Fellowship Board is excited to work together with her as we

munity initiatives, and her program initiatives have touched the lives of over 50,000 individuals combined. Currently, she is Associate Pastor at the United Methodist Church and Community Development for All People in Columbus, OH. She is also in the Doctor of Ministry program at United Theological Seminary, focusing on “Spiritual Cultivation and Trauma Heal ing Through Music Therapy” in places of worship and community settings. Lastly, Camisha proudly served as Board President & CEO for IV-CHARIS, a 22-year-old parachurch non-profit located in Cincinnati, OH. Camisha is very career-, goal-, and

From the President Nancy Farrington

journey forward in our mis sion to assist worship leaders in creating meaningful worship experiences. I want to especially thank our interview team, Jacqueline Thompson, Kevin Presley, Brittney Stephan, and Stephen Mitchell, for the time, prayer and discernment they gave to the search process. Camisha Chambers earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University, Oxford, OH, and her Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Mount St. Joseph University. Additionally, she holds a PROSCI Change Management Designation. Camisha is well-versed in strategic planning, mobilization, change management, organizational development/branding, and networking/relationship building. She is respon sible for multiple local, regional, and statewide com- We as a Fellowship have much to celebrate! As you have seen above, Camisha Chambers has accepted an invitation to be our new executive director. She brings a multidude of gifts to her new job and is excited to be in ministry with us, as we are with her. Welcome, Camisha! We celebrate the ten years that Carla Swank Fox served in many leadership roles, not the least of which was editor of WorshipArts . Read the glowing tributes on pages 28 and 29. We also celebrate the many years Joy Lamb has served on this committee as she completes her latest term. Thank you, Joy, for an exceptional job! It’s clearly a time of transition for The Fellowship. As we look to the future, this is a good time to look back. Summer 2022 marks the 66th anniversary of the signing of the charter of the National Fellowship of Methodist

task-oriented and takes im mense pride in delivering high-quality programming. She understands the value, strength, and impact music and worship arts have on an individual’s life and church experience. To that end, Cami sha comes with the hope of assist

ing clergy, laity, and worship leaders to recognize and engage with The Fellowship as the clearinghouse for the United Methodist denomination that is designed to transform the world through worship.

F R O M T H E E D I T O R I A L C O M M I T T E E

Musicians (NaFOMM), our founding organization. It is also the 43rd anniversary of the expansion of The Fel lowship’s areas of interest to worship ministries outside music. While these are not traditional milestones (anni versarties ending in zero or five), they are significant, so we are celebrating our past by assembling eight inspiring WorshipArts articles, gleaned from our last 10 years, that encompass most of our many areas of interest. Reaching farther back, as a special feature, on page 34 we have concluded the issue with one of our favorite celebrative pieces: Roger Deschner’s “A gift of music,” which he presented at The Fellowship’s Convocation in 1991 and was printed in our fall magazine that year. We hope all of our content will be helpful to your worship design leaders as you dream and plan for the next program year. And we celebrate that the Holy Spirit is leading the way!

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by Todd Pick Dancing at the edge of Mystery

“[Artists] produce work of moral beauty, they embody or incarnate truth, they enable us to see and to know, they are life-givers, they bring us to judgment, they sow seeds which germinate secretly within us, they bring us to the edge of mystery…” 1

– Michael Austin

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L ife-givers, seed-sowers, vision-bearers, truth artists have a critical role within the church today. Ours is the responsibility to help others learn the spiritual practices of looking closely, seeing with new insight, and opening the “eyes of our hearts” 2 to the beauty of God in all things. With the power to disrupt our blindness to truth and goodness, beauty can open us to visions of hope and creative possibility. Through beauty, art has the tellers ... In a world which seems filled with visual noise, alternative facts and blatant injustices,

focus, intentionality and discipline. And courage , too. Because each time you venture to join the dance, you risk becoming a contemplative prayer or a burning bush. ByWater and the Spirit: a banner for Riga FUMC T his spring, I was commis sioned to create a banner for Riga First United Methodist Church, Latvia, in celebration of 25 years of ministry. Originally found ed in 1912, the church reopened in 1992 following Soviet occupation. The banner was to be a gift from a coalition of United Methodists in the U.S. and Europe known as the Friends of Latvia, celebrating a 20 year partnership with the churches in Latvia. My creative process began by researching as much as I could about this unique congrega tion and its complex history. Next, I created a Pinterest page to collect reference materials including everything from pictures of the sanctuary to daisies (the na tional flower) to traditional painted Easter egg patterns. While these images sparked lots of directions, my work is typically grounded in a scriptural text. So I began scrib bling verses that resonated with the church’s story of resurrection and rebirth. According to choreographer Twyla Tharp, a good idea is one that generates more – and better – ideas. She defines this stage in the process as “scratching” for ideas which “take flight and begin to defy gravity.” 6 If you are a musi cian, you search for ideas by testing

internal vision into external form through color, shape and texture, I find myself on a pilgrimage that offers glimpses into my innermost being and leads me into Holy Pres ence. To be creative is also an act of faith . Author Madeleine L’Engle notes: “[A]rtists have always been drawn to the wild, wide elements they cannot control or understand ... To be an artist means to ap proach the light, and that means to let go of our control, to allow our whole selves to be placed with ab solute faith in that which is greater than we are.” 5 To give oneself over to the creative process requires the faith to journey where the process leads, trusting where God will lead. And with each work there is a blessing and breaking open: a pouring out of self, of imagination, of possibility in order for some thing new to come into being. For me, each creative act plumbs the depths of both the self and the divine and becomes that place where deep calls out to deep; that place where call and response meet one another in a dance of deep communion. Like prayer, journey ing into this intimate and sacra mental space of meeting requires

power to shock, challenge, delight and ultimately to transform. Much like grace, beauty calls to us at the depths of our souls. It invites us to respond by opening our hearts, “seeing Christ and imagining the reign of God he came to usher in.” 3 When our eyes are graced with beauty, our souls are awakened and inspired to further the dreams and desires of our Creator. Entering into the dance A s a liturgical artist, part of my calling is to help others recognize and celebrate beauty by making images. I create to glorify God and in response to “a deep need to pay attention, to give honor to the world in which I live and from which I derive life itself by making something special.” 4 When I enter into the creative process – the journey by which something seen in my imagination is birthed into physical being – I enter into a prayerful dance which brings me to the very edge of Mystery. To create is a mystifying, exhilarating, sometimes chaotic and frustrat ing process that can never fully be articulated, mapped or contained. Each time an image moves from

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For me, each creative act plumbs the depths of both the self and the divine and becomes that place where deep calls out to deep ...

riffs, hooks or licks. Visual art ists “scratch” by sketching. After sketching on an Easter theme, I was completely unsatisfied. My ideas were leaden and uninspired. Then, with the help of Google translator, I came across this on the church’s website: “We don’t com plain to God about the greatness of our problems, but we tell our challenges and callings how great our God is. We are strengthened by words of Jesus: ‘It is not possible for human beings, but with God all things are possible.’” While the verse from Matthew 19 didn’t spark new images, inspiration struck within the passion, tenacity and hope within these words! I could see a church moved and made, empowered and equipped, born of and borne by the Holy Spirit. As a dove with tongues of fire quickly emerged on my computer screen, I knew that the prayerful dance of creativity was moving in the right direction! Fire, dove and water I nexplicably, strains of “How Firm A Foundation” floated through my mind ... When through the deep waters I call thee to go ...

Isaiah 43 embedded in this hymn text gave me a foothold, and I began to see that fire and dove needed to somehow be combined with a background of swirling water. I began to see in the history of Riga First under Soviet rule the waters of Noah, which destroyed much and yet sustained a remnant, out of which the world was reborn. To my Spirit/dove, I added an olive branch. I also began to see the Friends of Latvia as Methodists from around a glimmer of Pentecost: many peoples from different places, speaking different languages, alight and aflame with the Spirit of the Living God! Soon multicolor faces appeared with tongues of fire. Here, I repurposed another image from a decade ago, updating and revising it to make it new. And suddenly, the banner was complete. While everything I see feeds my creativity, ideas are birthed, captured, and refined. The process is a mixture of determined persis tence and letting go. Encountering mystery and then making it visible hopefully invites others to enter into the Holy of Holies, into beauty and wonder, into prayer and praise.

NOTES 1 Michael Austin, Explorations in Art, Theol ogy and Imagination (Oakville: Equinox Publishing Ltd., 2005), 167. 2 Ephesians 1:18 3 Cecilia Gonzalez-Andrieu, Bridge to Won der: Art as a Gospel of Beauty (Waco: Baylor University Press, 2012), 30. 4 Michael Austin, 136. 5 Madeleine L’Engle, Walking on Water: Re flections on Faith and Art (Colorado Springs: WaterBook Press, 2006), 191. 6 Twyla Tharp, The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003), 95-108. Reprinted from WorshipArts September-October 2017

REV. TODD PICK has created wor

ship visuals for General Confer ence, Fellowship Convocations and Music & Worship Arts Week. He is currently co- pastor, with his wife Jennifer, of First United Methodist Church of Azel, TX. To see more of his work, visit wordmadeimage.com

Water image: Okan Casliskan

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stage the Setting Tips for starting a drama ministry in your congregation by Pamela Abbey I f you’re of a certain age, or if you watch old movies, you may remember the old Judy person who makes sure that all the gears are working. This doesn’t have to be the most talented,

yourself in the second category, here are a few suggestions about how to turn up the flame and stir the pot. Look for the leadership If there is one thing that keeps congregations from having a vibrant drama ministry, it’s lack of leadership. You have to have someone who serves as the producer. Many tasks in drama ministry can be shared. You may have several folks able to direct. The reading of potential scripts can be done by a wide variety of people. Some can help with costumes when needed, while others can work with sound. That’s the good news. But there has to be a “go-to”

trained, or creative individual. It just needs to be someone who has a passion to see drama happen in the congregation and can rally the troops and keep communication lines open. If you’re reading this, maybe it’s you! Learn how to work with your pastor If you are planning to develop a drama ministry that focuses on drama in Sunday worship, this is paramount. Difficulty in working with the pastor is probably the complaint I’ve heard the most. Ideally, your pastor is supportive of drama ministry and plans worship far enough in advance that you can develop material that fits. If your pastor is skeptical of

Garland and Mickey Rooney film in which someone yelled, “Hey, let’s put on a show!” Before you could blink, a polished, entertaining play was being put on in a barn by a bunch of amateurs! If only it was that easy to develop a drama ministry. Drama ministry is not rocket science. Most models of drama ministry don’t require big budget numbers. But it is a rather complex creature. I’m sure there are some drama ministries out there that started almost spontaneously, but generally it requires some thoughtfulness and planning. Some of you reading this may already have an active drama ministry in your congregation. Others may be scratching your heads, wondering how to get started. If you find

Photo: Daniel Craig

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drama, having some allies may help convince him or her to give it a try. If you have a skeptic, start simply so s/he doesn’t get overwhelmed. If your pastor is supportive but not very good in the planning ahead department, be strategic with your timing. Advent/ Christmas and Lent/Easter provide consistent themes from year to year. Dramatic readings don’t require as much preparation time and are a good option. If you can get scriptures even a couple of weeks in advance you can work with them. And if your pastor is supportive and plans ahead – well, be sure to thank God every day! Continue the conversation B e sure to continue the conversation with your church’s pastoral and volunteer staff. Are they supportive of a drama ministry? How do they see a drama ministry fitting into the overall life of the church? Will you perform regularly in worship? At certain times of the year? At special events outside of worship? Dream together. Pay special attention to communications with those leading other arts ministries in the congregation. Drama, music, and dance often have similar needs for space, time, and personnel. You have enough to do without handling “turf wars.” Your common goal is to help people express their faith through the arts. Find ways to work together. Start simply If your church has no experience with drama, make sure you choose material that you can do well. You’ll get a much better response with a simple script done well than something more ambitious that isn’t polished. Dramatic readings of scripture are just barely dipping a toe into drama, but they can be a good way to begin. (And they will vastly improve the attention given to the Sunday scripture reading.) Choose material that will work well in your physical surroundings and with your level of technical ability. Invite people to participate in a short-term dramatic project People are usually reluctant to sign on for a never ending activity, especially if they are trying something new. But they are often very willing to try something for a short period of time. Pick a season of the year when drama can enhance the ministry of your church and ask people to get involved. Lent and Advent are great times to incorporate short dramas into worship. Keep the invitation open to everyone, but also be sure to have

conversations with those you believe have interest and talent. A personal touch always helps. If you do short-term projects several times, you’ll discover who has deep interest, ability, and commitment. Discover your resources You may have folks in your congregation with some excellent training in theatre. Ideally, they will be active in your drama ministry. But be aware that if they are working in professional theatre or very active in community theatre, they may not be able to participate on a regular basis. If that’s the case, cultivate them as resource persons. They can still consult and give guidance. Check in with your local high schools and community colleges. Their drama teachers may be able to consult with you. Invite them to watch a rehearsal or performance and offer a kindly critique. Don’t overlook the printed page. There are some good “how to” books on church drama ministries. Secular theatre books can also be a great help. Visit a used bookstore in a college town and you’ll find some good material at a decent price. Have fun! Round up those folks who have an interest and go to the theatre together. Viewing a good production together can teach you a lot. (So can viewing a bad production!) Make a field trip to a church that has a drama ministry you admire. You’ll gather ideas and build a sense of team at the same time. Remember that this is about ministry as much as drama. The point isn’t simply to incorporate drama into the life of the church, it’s to help people grow in their faith through using the creative gifts that God has given them. Push for excellence, certainly, but always within a supportive community that encourages people to try new things. Beginning a drama ministry is usually a process, not an event. All those agricultural parables of Jesus fit this situation well. Prepare the soil, plant some seeds, cultivate and nurture them, and the fields will become ripe for harvest – a harvest of creativity, enhanced worship, and spiritual growth. Reprinted from WorshipArts November-December 2019 Fellowship member PAMELA

ABBEY is an actress, pastor, singer and writer who lives in Concord, CA. Her drama resources are available at umfellowship.org/resources/ collections/acting-in-faith

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Handbells for young and old(er)

Photo: Daniel Craig

I could quote research showing that children who are a part of the worshipping church are more likely to remain so later in life. It’s no secret; just ask a young adult who was raised in the church but now feels no connection or need to be in connection, “Why not?” Answers would vary, but the research I’m not quoting suggests that they never were valued as a part of the body of Christ. For a long time, I have been passionate about going against the tide of what’s normal in the church and intentionally including every age in worship. This is how a person learns to be a part of the body, learns to be in connection with others, and builds relation ships with adults who know them, pray for them, and support them. That’s what I mean as “part of the worshipping church.” If they are not asked to participate, if no one knows their name, or if they are dismissed to do something else during worship, are they going to feel like they are valuable?

by Shawn Gingrich

Including children: an ancient practice

Worship in ancient Israel and the early Christian church was a celebration in which every gen eration actively participated. God taught us how to worship and God demands our worship. In ancient times, children were not only included in corporate worship but also were taught to worship from a young age. Today we, the church family, must follow that tradition, teaching our children worship as their way of life. Frequently the term “intergenerational worship” is used to give children permission to be present in worship. Instead, it should be used to define “worship in which people of every age are understood to be equally impor tant. Each generation has the same significance before the face of God and in the worshiping congrega tion. Each and all are made in the image of God. Each and all have worth.” 1 This charges all who plan

corporate worship to do more than just welcome all ages. We must also include ways for everyone to worship. This might sound difficult, but it’s surprising how much life can be breathed into the body with some small efforts. My intent for this article is to talk about involving multiple generations ringing bells and chimes in worship – that’s a small but mighty way to begin. Simple techniques M y most recent experi ence involved children between ages 6 and 12 ringing chime chords while singing the well-known canon “Dona nobis pacem.” The children memorized only the first eight bars and sang that over and over while the adult choir layered in the other parts of the canon. Someone was always singing with the kids. By using the simple technique of putting

Children who are a part of the worshipping church are

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Multi-generational choirs M any of us have had children’s chime choirs, youth chime or handbell choirs, and adult handbell choirs, but one of my favorite things is having a multi-generational handbell or chime group – grand parents, parents, children, or just anyone wanting a lower-pressure experience in ringing. We usually start with sing-to-ring charts of fa miliar hymns which are color coded for quick success as described above. Later, I have transitioned them into charted music where we read just the beats of the measures, 1-2-3-4 | 2-2-3-4 | 3-2-3-4, etc. I don’t use color for this, just a circle around the beats played with left hand and a square around the beats played with right hand. The example (above left) is a bit more advanced but shows the chart of a passage with beats as well as the music marked with the circles and squares for D5 and E5. There are numerous pieces published with processional intro ductions. An exciting way to begin worship is to have ringers enter playing these patterns which layer to make an interesting and atten tion-grabbing call to worship. You could also play the whole piece, but extracting the processional is a quick way to teach by rote and the kids in the church are not afraid to just play. Some that we have used with great success are “Procession and Bell Chime” and “Processional and Joyful Dance,” both by Margaret Tucker and published by Choristers Guild. NOTE 1 Howard Vanderwell, ed., The Church of All Ages: Generations Worshiping Together (Hern don, VA: The Alban Institute, 2008), 11. Reprinted from WorshipArts May-June 2018 Fellowship member SHAWN GINGRICH , seen on page 10, is Director of Music Ministry at First United Methodist Church, Hershey, PA, and is a past national president of The Fellowship.

colored stickers on the chimes, the kids knew which chord to ring on which words. Green was used for the F chord (F-A-C), red was used for the C chord (C-E-G) and purple was used for the Bb chord (Bb-D-F). The kids who had C and F had two chords to ring! This is easy to do without help but if you doubt yourself there is a great, inexpensive resource to help with this kind of sing-and-ring approach – Chimeworks ® found online at chimeworks.com. There are many possibilities with this sing-and-ring approach using only the words and color coding. A yearly tradition for our church is the entrance of children ring ing bells (randomly) during the singing of a carol for the Hanging of the Greens service. Kids from infancy through teens get a bell and enjoy this participation in worship. It does not need rehearsal, only requiring setting the right bells out ahead of time, usually the scale in the key of the carol, and some elbow grease afterwards to remove the fingerprints.

We also make use of our racked Cymbells ® at Christmas and Easter, with older teens playing peals and scales during the singing of “Joy to the World” and “Christ the Lord is Risen Today.” If you don’t have the luxury of the Cymbells ® you can interlock the handles and hang a tree of bells to peal. I transpose “Joy to the World” down to C since that fits bell sets better. The pat tern of DO-do-la-fa-re-ti-sol-mi (where DO is low C and do is high C) interspersed with descending diatonic scales (DO-do-ti-la-sol fa-mi-re-DO) is very effective. If you have time and the personnel, try training four ringers to coor dinate these patterns, each having two bells ringing in the traditional way. Using bell trees or racked bells many times throughout the year for such things as obbligatos and ostinatos creatively enhances worship. This technique is as sisted greatly by many publica tions available. The two volumes of Hal Hopson’s The Creative Use of Handbells in Worship published by Hope are excellent.

more likely to remain so later in life.

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I was a soloist at a Disciples of Christ congregation on Sunday mornings, sang in a Reform Synagogue on Friday nights and Saturday mornings, and then directed the choir in a little interdenominational chapel on Sunday afternoons and evenings. All together, these three experiences influenced the priorities and shape of my vocation to this day – the weekly Lord’s Supper of the Disciples of Christ congre gation, the seamless tapestry of sung and spoken word in the Jewish liturgy as well as an interfaith awareness from singing in a synagogue, and then being broken in as a choral conductor by the choir in the country chapel. All of these were new worship environments for me, and the synagogue and country chapel sometimes tested my sense of vulnerability. It is the third of these that I want to focus on for a minute. The little chapel choir was my first experience as choral director. I had a phenomenal gospel organist who could play anything on that old Hammond organ. Our repertoire was almost exclusively gospel music, both black and white. It was a cross-cultural choir of Anglos and African Americans consisting of about 25 guys. This was the average size, but it varied a bit according to escapes and paroles. Oh yes, I left out one important aspect of this ministry – it was in a medium security prison outside of Louisville, KY. Danger in the prison The early 1970s were a volatile time in the cor rectional system in the United States. On September 9, 1971, two weeks after the killing of an inmate at San Quentin, 1,000 of the 2,200 inmates at the Attica Correctional Facility in New York seized control of the prison and held 42 staff hostage for four days. Negotia tions for improved conditions were held at the prison, but when not all the demands of the prisoners were met, state police stormed the facility, and tragically ten correctional officers and 33 inmates died. We sensed the unrest in the Kentucky correctional facility immediately. Choir rehearsals and services went on as usual, but things were not quite the same. I arrived for my regular Sunday afternoon rehearsal a few days later. The rehearsal was the last one before a special revival and we were working hard. At one point, I noted the guys seemed a bit restless and distracted. I was about ready to scold them when I glanced out the window and saw that the canteen on the yard was surrounded by men. It was being raided and set on fire.

A dangerous business Reflections on

the vocation of church musicians and artists by C. Michael Hawn

We are in a dangerous business. I learned this early in my music ministry, which began in three places simultaneously in 1970 during my first year of seminary.

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I learned a lot of things from that prison choir, but I can tell you that I have never had a more dedicated group , and no group has watched my back like those guys!

I felt secure in the chapel. So, I at tempted to refocus the men on the upcoming revival music. After all, Paul and Silas sang in prison and so could we. Always a little slow, it took some time for the potential gravity of my situation to register. The entrance to the yard was more than two long city blocks away. The guys worked out a plan. I was given a light blue denim jacket – regular prison garb – and a matching hat by one of my choir members. We exited casually from the chapel and the fellows surrounded me and we moved gradually to the front of the yard where I was yanked to safety by an angry warden who informed me that I had been the only non-inmate on the yard for at least half an hour. I learned a lot of things from that prison choir, but I can tell you that I have never had a more dedicated group, and no group has watched my back like those guys! Igniting a spark Upon reflection, I realized that my position at the state reforma tory had been dangerous – but not just because of this incident. Early in my ministry, I developed a desire to make music in risky places that challenged my comfort zone, both personally and professionally, and, even in those safer places, take risks that might stir the faithful from the status quo. Like the gospel itself, I’ve decided that effective music minis try is, among many things, danger ous! Even during those early days of my music ministry – about 45 years ago – a spark was ignited that

however, has always been a bit hazardous. Another dangerous profession About fifteen years ago I was in York, England, at a hymnology conference. During a break in the schedule, I visited the famous York Minster Cathedral. Musicians often tend to romanticize the English Ca thedral choral tradition, but, as we shall see, it can also be dangerous. On a wall in the nave was a plaque entitled “The Organists of York Minster” – a list of thirty names. The minister of York Minster Cathedral is second in rank only to the Archbishop of Canterbury, thus the second highest office in the Church of England. The City of York has a verifiable Christian presence that dates to the fourth century. Judging from the aver age length of tenure of an organist (organist choirmaster), my guess is that John Austan, the first name on the list, began his ministry on or near the time of the consecration of the present building in 1472 – a mere 543 years ago! What would such a ministry have entailed? First, and fore most, at least sometime after 1534 when Henry the VIII declared himself the Head of the Church of England, the position required allegiance to the State Church. Even back then, there was a bit of politics involved in being a church musician. Take Thomas Tallis who was caught in the middle of the change from the Roman Catholic to the Anglican Church; he had to negotiate musically the transition

has continued to grow in ways that I could never have guessed. Fellowship members have a sense of vocation in music and the arts. Some know exactly when that sense of vocation came into focus – singing in a children’s choir, doing service on a youth mission trip, performing the duties of acolyte. For others, it may have been a gradual process of forma tion. Sometimes we lose sight that our service to the church through music and the arts is part of a long tradition. We form a link in a long train of artistic custodians of the church’s worship. Our calling,

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from being a Roman Catholic church musician to one accepted by the Church of England. You think that the transitions between “traditional” and “contemporary” music cause you problems, failure to change one’s al legiances in Tallis’ day could have a deadly result – by that I mean, torture and the loss of your head. While he was, for sure, a good composer in his day, his ability to respond to the changes in his vocation, for example composing in both Latin and English, probably contrib uted to his musical growth and reputation for being one of the great composers in the western tradition. Beyond the safety of mediocrity What kind of person would assume the position at York Minster? Obviously, not a novice. The current Organist and Director of Music, Robert Sharpe, held positions in a number of smaller cathedrals and colleges before coming to York Minster in 2008. Sharpe is recog nized in the professional societies in the UK as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal College of Organists. Pursuing one’s art to higher levels pushes us beyond the safety of mediocrity into places that chal lenge both our skills and the skills of those under our care – potentially a dangerous position. If we rely only on the skillset that we acquired in college or seminary, we may be running the risk of settling into the safety of mediocrity. By skillset, I am referring not only to those skills that produce musicianship or other forms of artistry. I am also speaking of theological, liturgical, interpersonal, cultural, and contextual understandings that shape a maestro into a spiritual mentor and an audience into a manifestation of the body of Christ in the community. We share an initial spark W e share much with this train of church musicians at York. Our names may not be etched on a wall,

but are etched in the hearts of those whom we have served. So, we metaphorically join this amazing list of musicians who, for centuries in myriad places and various lengths of time, have been the custodians of a ministry through music and the arts. We join them on a potentially dangerous journey. All of us share an initial spark that billowed into a burning bush. That spark may have been lit while taking piano lessons from the organist at the church where we grew up; or, while singing our first solo in an anthem as a boy soprano; or, by playing drums in the praise team; or, by finding community in a dance ensemble that shared their gifts in worship; or, on a mission trip to lead a Vacation Bible School in a community with fewer resources than ours. That spark may have been fanned by a teacher, mentor, pastor, or choir director who pointed out something to us that we did not see in ourselves. At some point, the spark grew from being a bit of smoke to the flame that we call a vocation. It is at this point that I have had the privilege of entering the picture for nearly forty years as a professor in a theology school – that is the point where the spark has become a burning bush that will not be consumed; and the person has discovered they are on holy ground and are ready to make a commitment and continue their vocational journey in some aspect of music ministry. Keeping the spark alive What holds it all together? Each vocational journey is singular – each of us is formed in a different environ ment and each will be shaped by differing places of ser vice. I think of vocation in two interrelated parts: 1) the initial spark and vision that provides the impetus for what we do, and 2) the places and ways that we serve that take that vision and give it shape, meaning, and di rection. In both aspects of our vocation, the sacraments can play a significant role. I would suggest that it is

Photo: Pexels: engin-akyurt

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I can attest that embracing our baptismal vows could be dangerous. These vows challenge us to take our art beyond the safety of our sanctuaries to the centers of ‘evil, injustice, and oppression.‘

through the renewal of our baptismal vows and sharing at the table that the spark is kept alive. Each Christian has a vocation. The source of our vision is found in the sound of water poured and the taste of bread shared – or, said a different way, cleansing and nurturing. The renunciation of sin and profession of faith, part of our baptismal vows, clarify our direction of our voca tion: “Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin?” “Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?” How might we express our ministries if we chose artistic expressions that manifest the renunciation of evil, injustice, and oppression, on the one hand, and embrace the freedom and power offered by God, on the other? I can attest that embracing our baptismal vows could be dangerous. These vows challenge us to take our art beyond the safety of our sanctuaries to the centers of “evil, injustice, and oppression.” In the Eucharist, it is the invocation of the Holy Spirit that regenerates the fire that warms our hearts and inspires creative artistic endeavors: “Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood. By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at his heavenly banquet.” Focusing outward and forward W hat might our ministry through the arts look like if we really risked the empowerment of the Holy Spirit? Through the arts we not only have the potential

of experiencing the embodiment of the risen Christ, we also have a sense of direction. Our art is to do more than make a particular gathering of the faithful feel happy. Our art is to make us “one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world.” Once again, it seems that our focus is ultimately outward and forward, not inward and static – sounds like we might potentially be moving way out of our comfort zones. The Holy Spirit also provides the energy for our journey. The renewing power of the sacraments breathes spiritual oxygen on the spark that threatens to be extinguished by burnout, conflict, and over whelming need. How do we order our holy work as we embody our vocation in a particular place and time? Perhaps John Wesley has some words of advice. The preamble to his famous “Directions for Singing” (1761) is often overlooked. It is the preamble that provides the basis for why we sing. Wesley says, “That this part of Divine Worship may be the more acceptable to God, as well as the more profitable to yourself and others, be careful to observe the following directions:” John Wesley is offering a rationale for singing based on the biblical mandate found in Matthew 22:36-40: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Or, to put it another way, embodying your vocation depends on a balance of the twin commandments. It turns out that John Wesley was not just providing a list of seven steps for a great choral sound. The sound that he wanted was rooted in the ethical fulfillment of the law – how to express your love of God with “all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” and how to express your love for your neighbor – a love as abiding as the love we would show for ourselves.

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We need to take our vocation to places beyond the safety of our sanctuaries.

cians need to be more musically nimble and liturgically informed and flexible than ever before. But I think that our preoccupation with the diversity of musical styles masks a bigger change – that is, the Christian church is often losing its place at the hub of the spiritual and artistic life of the community, losing its role as a place of intersection between daily commerce and holy busi ness. In order to love God and love our neighbor, we can no longer run music and arts departments only within the church; we also need to take our vocation to places beyond the safety of our sanctuaries into the spaces where people suffer, struggle, and play and pros per. Many of these people may never enter our doors unless we come to them – a missional ministry. What would happen if Matthew 25 appeared on the walls of our choir rooms as our “mission statement”: I was hungry. I was thirsty. I was a stranger. I needed clothes. I was sick. I was in prison. Playing with fire Returning to our original assertion: We are in a dangerous business. We are playing with fire – the fire of that spark that has been placed in us, and the risk that we must take to let the Holy Spirit breathe life-giving oxygen into us so that the flame cannot be extinguished. I sometimes ask my students a very chal lenging question: What would your ministries look like if your activities were divided between the sanctuary where you normally worship and the sanctuaries that you create in the community? What kind of skill sets do you need to minister beyond the edifice we call the church and among those with whom Christ lived and for whom Christ died? I think it is at that point that some find this vocation to be a bit dangerous – danger ous because it challenges the presuppositions that they had about the vocation they have chosen. How about you? Reprinted from WorshipArts , September-October 2016 Fellowship member C. MICHAEL HAWN is the University

Congregation as cathedral R eturning to the long train of organists at York Minister Cathedral, they embodied their vocation in particular ways according to the culture, resources, piety, and politics of their particular situation. I would like to think that the vocational spark that kept them going was nurtured in the sacraments. However, the ways we embody ministry in our “cathedrals” of worship may be much different, and require an even broader skill set – a broader set of skills than many of us received in our formal education. You may not think of your congregation as a cathedral. In the historical sense, your church may not be the “seat of the bishop.” However, because of your leadership, your congregation may function as a cathedral. Cathedrals are often at the center of the spiritual and artistic life of the community. In other words, they are places where daily commerce intersects with holy business; they are places that not only pull the community into a space consecrated to the worship of God, but a cathedral also takes its witness to the heart of the community as an expression of love for our neighbors. I have spent most of my vocation trying to design curricula and create communities of learning that would somehow honor and nurture the vocational spark found in each student, and add to this spark mu sical skills, liturgical experiences, theological insights, and personal awareness to shape and be shaped by places of ministry on the vocational journey. Because of the changing nature of the church and because of the congregations and educational institutions that have shaped me for the last forty years, I can tell you that the call I sense in students is as strong and creative as ever, but the places and nature of service are constantly changing.

Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Church Music and Director of the Doctor of Pastoral Music Program at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. He is a recipient of The Fellowship’s Roger Deschner Award (2017). ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ 16 July-August-September 2022 • WorshipArts • umfellowship.org Losing a vital role Much of the focus over the last thirty years has been on the increasing variety of musical styles and forms of worship. It is true that today’s church musi-

Photos: Clark Retirement Community

The aging church choir Can senior singing skills be revitalized? by Michael Kemp

W e should have seen it coming. This year, the first of the “baby boomers” are becoming seniors, many graduating into retire ment. In this new stage of life, they have more time on their hands and are searching for meaningful activities in which their souls can be uplifted, and also in which they can contribute in a positive way with their lives. Voilà … the church choir! A swell of new senior singers is begin ning to fill our choir lofts, which is good, but of course they also bring with them many of the common vocal discomforts and quality concerns of aging singers. Singers 65 and older are beginning to constitute a significant proportion of most church choirs at the same time that younger adults seem harder to recruit in today’s society. Purely on a practical basis, we can no longer afford the old-fashioned quality control method of simply removing older singers from our choirs. Senior singers are no longer peripheral, expendable choir members. Without them, many of our choirs today would be in trouble. We are dependent on their reliability, dedication, and steady attendance, and the importance and significance of our senior singers will only become more pronounced in coming years. Not only do today’s church choirs need them, but seniors need and deserve the soul-stirring beauty which singing in a choir provides. We should not simply shut music out of seniors’ lives because their voices are not what they used to be. It is time for directors to remember that, at the core of their work with volunteer singers, there should be a genuine element of service to the singers, right alongside of the fundamental quest for aesthetic beauty. Strange bedfellows, you say? Is it possible to do the right thing of incorporating senior singers without dimin

ishing the artistic result? An obvious struggle

There is a superb old movie by the name of “Christmas without Snow” (highly recommended to show to your choir) in which John Houseman plays a retired college choral director who, in his retirement, becomes the director of an unauditioned church choir. The story line follows his budding relationship with the choir and follows the way he develops their skills with in the context of the preparation of Handel’s “Messiah.” Whoever wrote the

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