SOUTHPORT MUSIC MINISTRY WEEKEND 5-7 June 2009
Southport, the weekend before NEC Camp Meeting saw a Musicians' weekend organised by Dr Diana Sinclair. The aim was to present music ministry in a practical setting. Members of the growing Southport church gathered in the Royal Clifton Hotel on the seafront along with three Taskforce workers from the Conference and Dr Cheryl Wilson-Bridges.
Theory? Dr Diana reminded us that musicians are ministers - and that music ministry doesn't mean a song service with a selection of old favourites and a Divine Service hastily collected together with no discernable theme in a last minute effort to fill the spaces before the sermon.
Practice? The three Taskforce workers, Kimberley Ham-Ying, Tony Byrne and Chris Louth, outlined what they had been doing to meet people in Southport - and then went out on the streets with musicians to invite people to an evening concert in the hotel.
More theory? Dr Cheryl spoke to us about the importance of music from a very positive setting. There was no list of don'ts and more don'ts, instead sound bites made us think. "The kind of music you play determines the God you worship" and "In worship there is only one genre. Words that extol the majesty of God and music that has the ability to enhance noble and pure emotions."
More practice? The evening concert attracted a crowd - a small crowd - but then it is often a case of never mind the width feel the quality. Visitors arrived, a German lady with her Geordie friend. The retired owner of a health food shop coming back to God. A lady who said after the concert that she wouldn't want to be anywhere else and passers-by who were impressed with the saxophone of Mark Bunney, the singing of the ladies quartet, the clean sound of the worship band from Nottingham and soloes by Zena Taylor and Diana Sinclair.
The pattern, given in lecture and in networking was that our worship has to be enjoyable, should appeal to both mind and senses - and engages the visitor who may come to meet God and His people in a real spiritual setting - no matter what style of music was being played.
(Author - Pr Peter Jeynes)
14/06/09
