Beyond the music wars

Here is an interesting article on worship music. It reminded me of how lucky or whatever we are at BMPCNC to have such a diverse pool of talented musicians. And two distinctive venues to allow them to use their gifts to lead worship through music. I wouldn't claim that we have "arrived" in terms of how we do worship and music, but we most certainly have all the right ingredients. Our vision is clear: to offer two varieties of worship experience. How that is expressed is constantly evolving.

There was a time when our church lived through some pretty intense skirmishes on the matter of music and worship. I think we have moved beyond that and are at a point now of trying to do what we are committed to as best we can.

One of the things I heard most frequently after our Montreat-Anderson outing was folks favorable response to the diversity of the music we shared in worship and in the pre-service concert. Amen to that. We are using folks best gifts in service to God. That makes for authentic and vibrant worship.

Review: CD: Morris Robinson, Going Home

Atlanta native Morris Robinson is an incredible singer. His first CD, a collection of spiritual renditions, is a wonderful introduction to his voice and artistry. Those who would like to hear a phenomenal bass singer need look no further. His impressive resume includes significant work with the Metropolitan Opera and the Boston Lyric Opera. He has sung all of the major concert works that include bass solo work: Beethoven 9th, Hadyn Creation, the Mozart and Verdi Requiem masses, etc.

On the other hand, the present collection of spirituals is not reflective of standard spiritual renditions. These are highly orchestrated settings. Not a thing in world wrong with that, but it's not the standard format. Not what you’re likely to hear on Sunday morning in many churches. Robinson sings with that singular combination of artistry and passion than would have a congregation either on its feet or on its knees. A couple of the tunes use full orchestral accompaniment (Royal Phil., Robert Sadin conductor). There are some nicely set tunes that use a gospel rhythm section and additional vocal soloists and back-up singers. Duke Ellington's "Come Sunday gets a very nice treatment, the strings fulfilling what must have been Ellington's wish for a lush, full sound to accompany the prayer. The unfortunate oddity is "Going Home:" tacky words combined with the theme from Dvorak's "New World" Symphony; I can appreciate the beautiful sentiment of the lyric (and Robinson's choice of it for a first release), but I personally have never liked the combination of words with the powerful, powerful melody. It’s a shame it’s the title track. The ethnic drumming on “Wade in the water” is almost worth the price of the album. (Thanks, Ken, Jr. for sharing this with me.) + + +

Music for Worship 27 July

The week we'll have guest music leadership at FirstLight. Ginny Soll will be on piano, with Donna Marie Todd leading the singing. Music at the offering will be by Kurt Shaffer and Andy Banzhoff. (Thanks for covering for the Prophets, you guys!) They will also play along on the congregational song. We'll be singing some favorites: "King of kings," "Jesus name above all names," As the deer" and "Father, I adore you." Kurt will sing a Keith Green song at the offering, "Your love broke through." Karen Haak is wrestling with the Jacob story this week so worship will include "Jacob's ladder" and a new text to that tune, "We are dancing Sarah's circle."

The music ministry has been invited to lead worship music at the Montreat Conference Center this week. We're taking a goodly representation of our program: Chancel Choir, Prophets of Praise and Tune Weavers. We'll present a min-concert of sacred music prior to worship. That will include Dan Locklair's "Phoenix Procession" for organ, Handel's "Hallelujah, amen" by the Choir and "Come ye sinners" lyric by Joseph Hart in a contemporary new setting by Martin S. Smith and Fanny Crosby's "Draw me nearer" also in a new setting y Diane Sheets, both sung by the prophets. The pre-service music and the prelude will be three variations by James Woodman on LASST UNS ERFREUEN. During worship music will include the South African freedom song, "Hallelujah, we sing your praises," and William Dawson's "Every time I feel the Spirit." Hymns will include "All creatures of our God and King" (LASST UNS ERFREUEN), "Amazing grace" (AMAZING GRACE) and "Lord dismiss us with thy blessing" (SICILIAN MARINERS). The service will include a baptism, the first one anyone can remember in 20+ years of doing these services. Worship will conclude with a festive setting of KUM BA YAH by John Behnke. Of special note, there will be no 11 AM service at BMPCNC this Sunday, so everyone can attend worship at Montreat-Anderson. Don't be late!

Andy Gwynn in WNC Magazine

Andy drums and provides other percussion timbres on various musical selections for both services from time to time. He makes some of his own instruments; he's got quite a set-up in his basement. WNC Magazine found him recently. Here's the article. Scroll to the boom; Andy's profile is the last of four. Hoo-wah, Andy!

Local boy in town

David Lamotte is in town for a few days. he'll be singing at Lake Tomahawk as part of the summer (free) concert series. He'll also be at Montreat on Saturday for yet another free gig. Check him out. The information is from Montreat. Click on the image to get a better view.

Worship Music 20 July 2008

FirstLight worship will begin this week with the hymn "Come, Christians, join to sing" and a contemporary song that may as well be a hymn, "Glorify thy name." Doris Akers' classic praise chorus has been around now 32 years! We’ll also sing Chris Tomlin’s “Forever.” The Prophets will sing “With all of my heart” at the offering. We’ll conclude worship with “Blest be the tie that binds.” Other music will include our fun version of “Halle, halle, hallelujah,” the Iona “Glory and gratitude and praise,” and a musical setting of the Lord’s Prayer.

Worship at 11AM will include the hymns “The church’s one foundation” (AURELIA); “Blest be the tie that binds” (DENNIS); and “Called as partners to Christ’s service” (BEECHER). Special music at this service will be provided by Anna McClintock, trumpet. She’ll play an exquisite aria from a Handel opera at the prelude and a setting of BEACH SPRING and CONVERSE at the readings. This is actually a choral work, using the hymn “What a friend we have in Jesus.” The two tunes are interwoven between the trumpet and accompaniment. Folks at church are accustomed to hearing trumpets loud and brassy and fanfare-y. Anna will let the more melodious side of the instrument shine this week. Other music will include “Jesus calls us” using the tune PLEADING SAVIOR; the Caribbean “Halle, halle, hallelujah,” and “The trees of the field.” Organ music will include a short voluntary and fugue by Handel and Jacques Lemmens’ glittery “Fanfare.”

Church Unbound

As if I didn't get enough of sitting in seminars last week, I took in part of the Church Unbound conference at Montreat this week. It being a holiday, I'm going to just give some random impressions and memorables from the event.

"How can we worship a homeless man on Sunday, and ignore the homeless on Monday?"

Not the "kingdom of God," but the "reigndom of God." That struck me because it seemed to convey in the new language a dynamism lacking in our standard terminology.

It's not enough to believe in Christ; we need also to follow Jesus."

I got to sit in on a seminar on post-modern worship with Melva Costen; way too short; what must it have been like to be on the 1989 hymnal committee with her!! I also sat in on a seminar with Rhashell Hunter, who is no doubt a mighty fine preacher if her seminar presentation is any indication. But it was billed as "worship and preaching" in a new context, and we spent the whole time on preaching. Kind of stirred up those old "if I were still a preacher" feelings in me again. I am looking for an opportunity to talk with folks about the whole gamut of worship development in a new age. The W&M conference was strictly music, and classical music forms at that. CU (the seminar with Costen) had potential, but a one hour seminar barely scratched the surface.

The directory for worship gives some beautiful language about worship that can be very freeing. While there is a tendency to make it's message prescriptive or even proscriptive, it can be seen as descriptive (with wide-ranging possibilities built into the subtext).

I saw more 20-30 y/o Presbyterians gathered in one place than I have seen in quite a while (probably ever). They were caucusing, and, I hope, feeling that this was a chance for them to be affirmed in their leadership of the church. There were several persons in seminars with me who were in their first few years of pastoral leadership, struggling with authentic worship in a new era while being sensitive to and mindful of the needs of the older generations that brought us here.

I also saw my buddy Lamar W. taking in some of the most dynamic of the presentations. Yep, Lamar, I felt mighty small, just like you!!

One of the speakers encouraged the people in attendance to commit to find a worship experience with which they were unfamiliar or uncomfortable, and then worship in that style until it did feel comfortable. Made me glad of my choice to attend Jubilee rather than someplace more "comfortable" last week.

Continuing Education

I finished up the Montreat Conference on Worship and Music on Friday last week. My CE allotment is a whole week, including a Sunday. This year I made a conscious decision early on to seek an unusual place to worship, to fill out my week. It's very often that a CE week is so full of worship experience that the notion of taking in a Sunday service in a local church is almost sickening (don't even ask what we do when we're on vacation)! I tried to keep a balance throughout the week, so I could be fresh for one more experience over the weekend. Some folks suggested that I visit any of the handful of churches in the area with really strong music programs, or which did formal worship really well. When I mentioned that I and we at BMPCNC do that sort of thing really well, they agreed with my interest in seeking out a place that does something unusual in worship and music. Hence, my decision to visit the Jubilee Community in Asheville. I had heard buzz about the place ever since our arrival in the area. We learned along the way that Libby's cousin Martha goes there. With the three brothers in tow, we needed "child-friendly; we figured it would fit the bill.

Note to self: as parents we were interested in such things as which entrance was nearest the child care area; would we be able (downtown) to park close to that entrance? What sort of provisions are there for children in worship and in nursery? Things like this need to be on the front page of the church's web site if we are interested in being family friendly and attuned to the concerns of visiting families. Signage throughout the re-habbed office/industrial building was scarce. We kind of followed the pack, but some signs would have been helpful.

Jubilee is a creation-theology community of faith, non-denominational (though the leader was of the Methodist tradition for some time). The theologian Matthew Fox drives a lot of who they are as do writers of many different faith traditions. There are also Quaker tendencies to their theology (the divine within each individual), along with a certain Native American pantheism. I love that aspect of Quaker theology, but I find it needs a pretty solid foundation, lacking here somewhat. Fine for some though not my cup of tea on a regular basis. They are non-denominational and almost inter-faith; I saw a couple of yarmulkes. (Does Asheville have a Messianic Jewish congregation?) I saw only one explicit reference to Jesus on the web site, as a teacher, not so much as Savior. And while a gospel reading was part of the liturgy, the meditation focused more on a passage from Ezekiel. Missing from the service was much of a sense of the fallen-ness of humanity and creation (confession and forgiveness) which I have come to appreciate in the liturgy of Reformed congregations, and a reliance on the historic creeds of the church. The church follows a cycle of the four seasons of creation, the four Vias, instead. Elements of creation, fire, wind, earth, water, were present on the table in the center of the assembly. I saw a wide variety of types of folk there, a decent age spread (though not many traditional families with young children); plenty of alternatively configured family units. There was a large majority of middle-aged yuppies who came of age in the 60's. The music, folky and rooted in rock with a strong global flavor, reflected that demographic. There was only (best I could tell) one person of color, not the ratio I was expecting. There were a couple of folks with physical and/or developmental impairments. We were at the 945 celebration; there is an earlier one and a later. Martha reports that the 945 is the most traditional of the three. We got to see some folks join the community in this service. Aside from announcements, there were not a lot of places where the gathered community said much together. I would have really liked to experience communion in this setting. Might be worth another visit at some point.

Howard Hanger is the driving force behind Jubilee, as pastor and as musician. He sang a goodly portion of his meditation; he led the congregational singing as much as the singers in the band, and was deeply in synch with the musicians in the World Beat Band for worship actions. There was some sort of glitch in the sound system last Sunday; I couldn't figure out what was causing the static either, but it eventually went away.

The band was very good. A piano player, a couple of guitars and bass, and percussionists accompanied two singers. They played Hebrew folk songs, South African music and 60's ballads with equal panache.

Worship began with a prayer toward the four ends of the earth: East, South, West and North. This was accompanied by drums. They also had burning sage going as a form of incense. There was lots of movement including swaying to the music and more enthusiastic shuffling (here at the beginning and really throughout the service). We sang a passover Seder song (Dayenu) at the beginning of worship. Interestingly I had encountered every one of these worship elements in isolation in various worship and music conferences along the way and over the years. What was unique and interesting here is that they are a defining part of the community and its worship and all present in one experience.

Hopefully you get the idea. There was a lot that was appealing. There was a lot of hand-holding which is also not my cup of tea, but the folks I joined hands with were nice enough (a stranger on my left, Libby on my right :). I caught Eli clapping to some of the songs, which I count as a pretty big coup for the Jubilee experience (kind of like that elusive smile on the teen-age girl in the Carnival Cruise commercial). I got some helpful ideas from the experience, for use in FirstLight worship, and plenty to ponder. Howard's focus this day was trust/distrust, and while it was a good topic, I think some of the connections between the message and the liturgy and music were a bit forced. Not much different than a standard Sunday in most churches, so in a sense that was reassuring. We all (worship planners) struggle to cobble together an experience that will speak to deep needs, that will hand together logically and theologically, and be captivating to the heart and mind of the worshiper.

I can't emphasize enough how important this sort of experience is for me as a part of my on-going education in worship and the arts. It's very easy to get tunnel vision in worship and music design and implementation. It would also be very easy to go somewhere comfortable and sit back and enjoy the pretty music. It's experiences like this however that push my envelop a wee bit and make me a better musician and worship leader. The Jubilee worship coupled with the really wonderful experience at the W&M conference made for a truly invigorating week of education and renewal for me.