Worship Arts July August September 2022

F E L L O W S H I P N E W S & N O T E S

sion, a keen eye for how WorshipArts would look, and how it would be utilized by The Fellowship members. She was open to the creative brainstorming process and en couraged the Editorial Committee to bring their own gifts to the table in conversation. Carla, a worship artist her self, curated the perfect combination of content and the artistic expression of that same content. Carla’s work re flected her deep passion for The Fellowship, WorshipArts, and her true love for the role of editor. I am grateful to have been part of her collaborative, creative team.” Tracy DePue, WorshipArts Editorial Committee “It was a pleasure those ten years to be a part of the Editorial Committee’s growing appreciation for Carla’s talents. Her organizational skills increased as she added her artistic eye to the composition of each issue. We will miss her engaging way of approaching prospective writers! During our yearly retreats at my Lake Michigan home, it was fun to get to know her personally. Shalom, Carla.” Sara Collins, Editorial Committee, Past President (1989-1991) “Working closely with Carla on WorshipArts has been a delight. Not only has she been a valued colleague, she has also been a mentor who brought fresh ideas both editorially and graphically to the publication while I was editor. Her grace was boundless as she made suggestions for improvement. Since my retirement she has taken WorshipArts to a new level. I’ll miss the long conversa tions that we shared about the magazine, The Fellowship, and our personal lives. Our editorial team and organization are so much richer for her presence with us.” Dave Wiltse, WorshipArts Editor Emeritus C arla’s gifts shone the brightest when she employed her magical-music-video-editing skills to create video montages of Music and Worship Arts Week! She expertly pivoted from one piece of music to the next, aligning videos, photos and movement with the music that captured the spirit of our events, intuiting on a soul level the music that moved us closer to the Divine. You can experience Carla’s video storytelling superpowers here: Encounter Jesus: Music and Worship Arts Week 2018: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=dsKvMdknfew and here: Spirit of Wonder: Music and Worship Arts Week 2019: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=nECbmdtIXqI

In November of 2020, under Carla’s creative di rection, Fellowship Reflections was born. Through her inspired vision, our weekly devotions expanded to include reflections, prayers, guided meditations, downloadable playlists, journal prompts, book recom mendations, and choral videos. 2 “The process of creating the weekly reflections is itself a spiritual discipline ,” said Laurie Hanson-Roberts , member of the Fellowship Reflections Team, and the spiritual lives of our mem bers and friends have been fed and nourished. When I began my term as president in July of 2019, little did I know that the next two years would be rife with change for the world and for The Fellowship. Carla’s social and digital media expertise made our transition to serving the members of The Fellowship with online events during the pandemic an achievable goal. Her professional facilitation of our online Music and Worship Arts Week Virtual Reunion in 2020 (You can see it here: https://carlaswankfox.com/interactive/) and our Annual Meeting in July 2021 celebrating the 30-year tenure of our former executive director David Bone were expertly done. These were not just a job well done, these were a labor of love.

We celebrate with Carla that in the recent past, two of her long-time dreams have come true. First, she returned to the fac ulty of Middle Tennessee State Univer sity in the Department of Media Arts and Interactive Media in January of 2018 as a lecturer and her duties have steadily increased. And second, she became mom to her precious daughter Ellie in September of 2021. W e’re grateful for every gift that Carla has given to The Fellowship over the

last ten years and we pray God’s richest blessings as she focuses her time and great talent on her new roles of professor and mom. Past President Bill Carroll sums it up for us all: “Thanks for everything, dear Carla. You will be missed.” Leigh Anne Taylor, Immediate Past President, The Fellowship NOTES 1 https://www.mtsu.edu/faculty/carla-swank-fox 2 https://carlaswankfox.com

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