The umbrella of "Worship & Music Ministries" covers a wide range of
ages and ministry programs employing a wide variety of gifts and many volunteer
hours. To give direction and organization to those, I am grateful
for my team members, Sarah Monson and Sue Zahasky. Here are some
of the highlights of the past year:
WORSHIP
1) We have continued with the plan to have "Festival Worship" 3 times
a year, once in May for Confirmation, once in November for the Missions
Festival, and once in February when we have our Annual Meeting following
the service.
2) The Informal Worship Service is now put together by a Creative Planning
Team; currently Cindi and Steve work with Sarah Monson.
3) During Holy Week the Sanctuary Choir performed "The Sacrifice,"
a musical written by a Covenant Pastor/Musician based on the account in
the Gospel of John. Done over Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Easter
morning, this was a very meaningful presentation for choir and congregation
alike.
4) Labor Day weekend saw our "3rd Annual Bluegrass Worship" which has
become much anticipated by many people.
5) In December the Choristers and Cherub Choir presented "The Children
of Christmas" by John Leavitt as the centerpiece of a multi-generational
offering at both morning services.
6) In the fall our Sound Team, under the leadership of Scott, purchased
a CD burner and coordinated the efforts to record our worship services
on CD instead of cassette tapes.
7) With that move into the 21st century, Mike of our Media Team has
implemented putting our sermons on Podcasts on a number of different sites.
Since this began in the fall, there have been people listening to our sermons
from all across the U.S. as well as Canada!
8) Sarah and I just returned from a whirlwind 2 days in Chicago for
the 2008 Worship Connection. While very compressed, the various worship
experiences, workshops, and discussion groups were excellent and we thank
you very much for making it possible for us to attend. It's an invaluable
experience for us and inspires and rejuvenates us for ministry!
MUSIC
1) Our multi-age vocal and bell choirs continue to be an important ministry,
both in what they contribute to worship and in the way people minister
to one another within their choir. Our attendance in most choirs is slightly
down this fall, and I have to say that every year we see more "in-and-out"
in terms of attendance, but I think that is simply a reflection of how
busy everyone's life is and the many demands from work, family, and community
activities.
2) In August a new drum kit was purchased through private donations,
to replace the set we had been using which belonged to Jim Eaton.
3) Sanctuary Choir participated in a Benefit Concert for the Interfaith
Hospitality Network in November.
4) We have been promoting the Organ Upgrade Project and I hope by the
time you read this we will have raised the $87,000 needed. I am very
encouraged by the fact that this has been financially supported by over
100 people!
VISUAL ARTS
I) An ongoing task of the Visual Arts Committee is decorating the church
at special seasons of the church year and what they do at both Easter and
Christmas is truly special!
2) The committee has spent many hours working on plans for a church
sign and landscaping. These are plans that will be ready to go whenever
we as a congregation determine the time is right and that we want to raise
the necessary funds to make them a reality. The plans are very attractive
and exciting and give us a vision for what can be done in the future.
3) Work continues on the banners which have been designed for the narthex
and to which man of our congregation have contributed fabric. These should
be going up in 2008 as part of our 50 Anniversary celebration.
FOCUS INITIATIVE ON CHILDREN & YOUNG FAMILIES
I) I have been trying to bring children and teens into worship leadership
more and more in the Blended Worship service, both in helping to lead worship
songs and occasional readings.
2) We try hard to keep children in mind when we plan worship, and occasionally
focus an entire service on them, such as the early Christmas Eve service.
This year children and families enjoyed experiencing how Christmas is celebrated
in other countries.
3) Bob Church and Paul Zahasky are beginning to offer a "mentorship"
program in photography for teens who might be interested in expanding their
knowledge in that art form and exploring how it can be used to praise and
honor God. I hope we will see some of their efforts in 2008 ! 4) One of
my dreams is to have a team which will put together worship bulletins for
children that are designed specifically for our worship services, teaching
them about worship and encouraging them to actively engage in worship.
If you are interested in this, see me!
OTHER
This fall I have also been spending time trying to come up with a plan
and system for handling the use of our facility by groups outside of our
church. This has been an area of need for some time and, with the hiring
of a full-time Facility Manager, can finally be done appropriately. Office
Manager Sharon and I have spent more than a few hours re-working
policies and determining how to effectively use our facility for community
outreach in a way that doesn't compete with our ministries. We are nearing
the culmination of this effort!
I am grateful for the support of the Worship & Music Commission
and would urge others to consider serving on a commission. It's a valuable
way to let your voice be heard as well as to give time and effort to making
ministry happen.
Thank you for the privilege of serving Jesus Christ with you.
Pat Anderson
Director of Worship & Music
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