Music Notes

May 22nd, 2019
From the Podium
conductor_music.jpg
There was a great Concord UMC mystery solved last week. For about the last two years there was an enormous box filled with some sort of craft project materials that was sitting in the music library closet. I had no idea what it was, and nobody ever asked me about it. It was just there. I thought perhaps that Sarah Beth had ordered it for MOSAIC and never used it. But she never said anything about it, and Hannah knew nothing about it. So I went to Jane Currin to see if perhaps it was a mission project that never got done. She knew nothing about it, but suggested I talk to Heather Hayes to see if it was a part of the children's ministry.

So I asked Heather, and the look on her face indicated that pieces of a deep puzzle began to fall in place. She told me that she had been warned when she became part of Concord's staff to be careful when ordering and storing VBS supplies. Some time ago, someone had stolen an enormous box of supplies. The box had just vanished. The supplier had been called, but they assured us that the box had been shipped, so the problem was on our end. The logical conclusion was that someone, for some odd reason, had just absconded with a box of craft kits. Except as it turns out, no one committed any crimes against children's ministry. The real reason for the disappearance was that someone put the box in the music library and just forgot about it. Mystery solved! It was never gone, never stolen, just misplaced. The entire time it was wondered about, worried over, stepped around, looked at, considered carefully, but never fully investigated.

There are those times when we can put God in a box and put God in a closet somewhere in our minds. Then a situation arises, or we realize that somehow God doesn't seem to be where we thought God would be. Maybe God is missing, maybe that feeling of closeness is gone, maybe our souls just aren't complete. It happens, especially when times are good. When we are comfortable, secure, and life is on cruise control, we're tempted to think that we made it all happen and God can rest "over here" for a while. The problem is that we tend to forget. the habit of gratitude and the realization of God's providence. Habit begets habit, and when we let our spiritual disciplines slip and be put away, it's hard to remember where we put them.

The whole situation with the box of supplies could have been taken care of if the person who received the box initially had taken a little extra time to make sure it got to where it was supposed to be. But it was a simple mistake, and now we can all have a chuckle about it. But it's more serious when we don't take the time to keep track of our devotional and spiritual life. That's something that is best kept in the open and handy and never allowed to be put in a closet and forgotten.









Chancel and Worship Choirs

Chancel Choir - I'll see you Wednesday night at 7:00 for our regular rehearsal. We'll be looking at music that we'll be singing in the summer.


A very special thanks to everyone who came together and made Sunday's 11:00 anthem a truly meaningful moment. It's always tricky to rehearse a piece with three different groups, then expect them to come together at the last minute and have everything go smoothly. But everyone did a terrific job, adapted to new seating, shared music, and helped each other in such a way that we contributed in a deep way to the Confirmation service. It was a great day, and I look forward to even more collaborations between various ensembles in the future.
undefined
Youth Choir


  • I appreciate everyone for singing on Sunday morning. I hope you enjoyed the experience, and were able to appreciate how much the congregation appreciated you.
  • Okay, this is slightly panicked Mike speaking right now. I have to admit that I was disappointed with the turnout for last Sunday's rehearsal. For those who were there, thank you! For those who weren't, I have disturbing news. That was our last Sunday rehearsal before tour. This Sunday afternoon the church will be closed for Memorial Day weekend. The following Sunday, June 2nd, many of you will be away on the summer mission trip. On June 9th I have to be at Annual Conference. On June 15th we leave on tour. I'm calling a special final rehearsal for Friday, June 14th at 4:00. Not only will we run through our program a couple of times, but you will bring your bedding and luggage so that it will be easier to load the bus and leave the next morning. I'm giving you plenty of warning. Clear your calendars. Make this a priority. The people for whom we sing deserve the best that we can give them.
  • Here's another important date: June 1st at 4:00. This will be a parent/choir member meeting. This will be the meeting at which we (hopefully) will have the final itinerary, have Letters of Consent available, have a notary on hand, and address any questions or issues you have. If you are going on the mission trip you will already be at the church, having dropped off your luggage for that trip. Just come over to the choir room when you're done. I don't expect this meeting to last more than 45 minutes.
Other Musical Ensembles

Concord Men's Ensemble - What an outstanding job Sunday! I received so many compliments about you. Watch for an email from me about upcoming rehearsal times.



Concord Bells and Wesley Bells - Our bells are officially on vacation to Pennsylvania. The friendly UPS driver picked up all six cases today and got them on their way. I'll let you know when they come back and will stay in touch with you about when rehearsals will start back up.

Concord Orchestra - We are taking a break from rehearsals until July 22nd. We will also be changing our rehearsal time to 6:30 on Mondays. In the meantime, help me spread the word about playing and invite all your musician friends. I hope for us to be playing in worship by mid-August.
  Looking Ahead




Wednesday, May 22nd

7:00 - Chancel Choir rehearsal



Sunday, May 26th

8:45 - Worship Choir - TBD

11:00 - Chancel Choir - "A Prayer for Our Time"


Wednesday, May 29th

7:00 - Chancel Choir rehearsal


Sunday, June 2nd

8:45 - Worship Choir - TBD

11:00 - Chancel Choir - TBD



Wednesday, June 5th

7:15 - Chancel Choir rehearsal (Note the new time for our summer rehearsals. Mid-Week Worship begins tonight, and we will be rehearsing immediately afterwards.)





























Prayer Concerns and Celebrations



  • Nedra Cook
  • Dana Viktorinova - Her father is in hospital in the Czech Republic.
  • Jane Currin - Jane lost her sister Carol unexpectedly last week.


  • Shireen Saah's birthday is Friday, May 24th.
  • Alisa Walker's birthday is Sunday, May 26th.





Mike Stallings
mike@concordumc.com
mstallings65@gmail.com
(865) 966-6728 (o.)
(865) 719-3469 (c.)