Concord UMC Music Notes
January 10th, 2018
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I'm going to let you in on a secret that not many people know. I occasionally enjoy listening to police scanner broadcasts. I have a phone app that allows me to listen in to police scanners across the country, but mostly I listen to the Knox County Sheriff's channel. There are some interesting stories that take place on a nightly basis. The difficulty I find, however, is that I have to piece together many of the stories through inference and supplying my own imagination. Law enforcement personnel have their own language. They won't say that there's a disturbance caused by a rowdy neighbor, they say "There's a 10-something or other at such and such address. Now, I could make the effort to learn all of the 10-codes, but that would take a lot of time. What's worse, the 10-codes can be different in different cities and counties. Usually I just enjoy what I can understand and try not to let what I don't know get in the way of a good story.
Every group, large or small, has its own insider language. When United Methodists talk about the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, there's a good chance that those who attend the Church of Christ church have no idea what we're talking about. At Concord we have our own coded language. We talk freely about the Worship Center, or Room 296. Most of us regular attenders know exactly what we're talking about and how to get there, but to a visitor or a new member, that language can still be a little confusing. Even in choirs we have our own codes. The way we get our folders and robes is its own language, as are phrases like, "the threefold" or "May the Road Rise." We get it, but the new member might not immediately grab onto it. I'm not being critical, just pointing out that codes and nuanced language develop naturally, even within families. Where there's a group, there will be codes.
The problem comes when we don't occasionally stop and look at ourselves with the perspective of an outsider. And outsiders to the church are an increasing number. I recently heard a statistic that found that in America, only 17% of the population attend church on a weekly basis. That means that currently, 83% of our country's population will be outsiders to the church and its environment. For us, this means that we shouldn't take things for granted. We can no longer assume that people know the Lord's Prayer. They may have never sung the Gloria Patri or a Doxology. They very well may not have had any experience with, or can possibly read a hymnal. The pastoral staff at Concord will periodically try to talk through ways that we can be friendlier and more hospitable to those who may not have grown up in a Methodist culture or even a church culture. We don't have to sacrifice any of our traditions, but we do need to make sure that we're willing to make them accessible. We may have to simplify occasionally in order to teach those who are new to the family.
As a thought experiment, think through some of the things that you assume that everyone should know about Jesus, worship, church, or inclusion into our community. Do we teach those things well? Is there any way to make our traditions easier to understand? The great challenge of any church is to balance the "now" and the "not yet". If the way we present ourselves in the "now" is filled with a lot of "10-codes", the "not yet" may not be a future that we will like.
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Chancel and Worship Choirs
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Chancel Choir - We will be kicking off the ministry celebration this Wednesday night in the Worship Center. We will meet
in the sanctuary at 5:45 to go over "With a Heart of Thanks" We won't be wearing robes. Just wear what you would normally wear to a Wednesday night function. I will have more details on exactly where and how we will stand on stage by Wednesday night.
Chancel Choir - Because of the ministry celebration there will be no regular Chancel Choir rehearsal. However, we still have an anthem to present in worship next Sunday. We will meet early next Sunday to run through it a few times.
Worship Choir and Chancel Choir - Thank you for doing a great job on yesterday's anthem. The Worship Choir especially did a great job despite very limited numbers. A big thank you to Hannah for taking charge. I was performing my semi-annual responsibilities on the contemporary side.
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- Great rehearsal yesterday, everyone! Thank you for coming in and picking up right where we left off. On the schedule that I passed out at the beginning of the year, a concert or two is listed for this weekend. That's no longer the case. The only thing happening this weekend is our regular rehearsal on Sunday afternoon at 4:00.
- Just a reminder to everyone to try and find some way to take part in this weekend's Mission Blitz. There are plenty of opportunities to help our community and to represent our church.
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- Concord Bells - I will do my best to put together a schedule for this semester by next Sunday night. I'm hoping that we will be able to play in worship at least every six weeks, if not every month.
- Concord Men's Ensemble - Unfortunately, we are not going to be able to participate in the Ministry Celebration this Wednesday night. I hate to pull us out, but we will be missing about half of our group due to other commitments, illness, and other conflicts. I didn't want to commit us to something when we would not be able to best represent ourselves. I am working on the schedule for this semester, and hopefully will have it out to you by the end of this week. Stay tuned, and watch your email inbox.
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Looking Ahead
Wed., Jan. 10th
Church-wide celebration of ministries:
Chancel Choir: "With a Heart of Thanks"
Sunday, Jan. 14th
8:45 - Worship Choir - "Seek Ye First"
11:00 - Chancel Choir - "Lay Up Your Treasures in Heaven"
Sunday, Jan. 21st
8:45 - Worship Choir - "Guide My Feet, Lord"
11:00 - Chancel Choir - "The Apple Tree"
Sunday, Jan. 28th
8:45 - Worship Choir - "O Master Let Me Walk With Thee"
11:00 - Chancel Choir - "O Master Let Me Walk With Thee"
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Prayer Concerns and Celebrations
- Sunday, Jan. 14th is Claudia Stallings' birthday. If you think I'm going to tell you her age, you've got another think coming.
- Please keep Damon Coburn, husband of Chancel Choir member Mary, in your prayers. Damon had a troublesome hospital stay this week, but is now recuperating at home.
- The family of Edna Shewbrooks.
- The mother-in-law of Nancy Ridenour's niece.
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Mike Stallings
mike@concordumc.com
mikestallings@charter.net
(865) 966-6728 (o.)
(865) 719-3469 (c.)
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