Music Scholar Ministry

The Music Ministry received endorsement recently to implement a Music Scholars Ministry. The Music Scholars Ministry of Black Mountain Presbyterian Church seeks to glorify God by reinforcing the music ministry for corporate worship. Specifically this ministry seeks to engage local college students to be members of the Chancel Choir or contemporary music ensemble, Prophets of Praise, during academic terms and compensate those students with funds deposited directly to their college accounts for the payment of tuition, fees, room and board. Funding for this new initiative in 2008 is coming from the Imagination Fund and Imagination Matching Fund.

At the beginning of each semester a team appointed by the music director will publicize the scholar ministry and interview interested students. They will then recommend a group of as many as five students, one each Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass to be part of the chancel choir and a fifth instrumentalist or singer to be part of the contemporary music ensemble. The music director will interview each student directly and in consultation with the Worship and Music Ministry make final decisions and report those to the Session. Once selected, students will be contractually bound to certain performance requirements including rehearsal and Sunday worship participation. Upon completion of the term of service, funds will be directed to the appropriate department at the student’s college to pay that semester’s expenses. Funds will not be paid directly to the student.

The Music Scholar Ministry has several benefits for both student and our church:

-- Fosters good relations with local institutions of higher learning.
-- Adds depth to the volunteer personnel participating in our music ensembles
-- Assists student in a very tangible way
-- Allows students to hone musical skills in the context of a vital and vigorous music ministry
-- Fosters inter-generational relationships
-- Helps the church maintain its standards of high quality music presentation for worship and
special events