WorshipArts Jul Aug Sep 2023

A Note From the Editor

What a year! It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as your Communications and Publications Director over the past year, and I’m truly looking forward to seeing what the next year will bring. And while I’m still fairly new to The Fellowship, we can all be excited by the fact that we have members who are even newer! We have had new folks from all over the country and across the denominational and theological spectrum join us over the past year. We had members join us for the first time for our virtual events, as well as first-timers at Music & Worship Arts Week. We continue to receive new members as we head into the fall. We celebrate this, and are blessed by it! We also want to make sure we’re being attentive to it. As everyone knows, being new to something offers challenges AND opportunities. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, or what you’re doing...but you also don’t have preconceived notions about what to expect or how to engage. There’s nothing but room to grow. On the other side, being an established member of an organization also offers challenges AND opportunities. You know what you’re involved in, can offer guidance to new members, and have institutional memory that can help provide foundational support, direction, and resources to your community. But you may be used to things occurring in a specific way, and not be as curious about how the benefits you have access to have evolved with circumstances, technology, leadership, or organizational vision. In this way, too, there is nothing but room to grow! In this issue of WorshipArts , it is our intention to orient or reorient you to the many benefits and resources that come with being a member of The Fellowship of Worship Artists. Whether you are a new or founding member (or anything in between), we hope this issue creates a sense of excitement and renewed possibility for what our community offers you, and the ways in which you make The Fellowship what it is! Thank you for your continuing support,