Tethered to a
Moment...
August, 2016
I
would like you to take a moment and think about what some of your favorite
songs are. Not just church songs, but any music that has been important to
you. Now, think about the moments in your life that made these songs so
special. Here are some examples from my own experience: “The River” by Garth
Brooks is one of the songs I first sang with my father when I was around 10
or 11 years old on a choir trip. “My Place in This World” by Michael W.
Smith was going through my head even as an elementary age kid walking up my
driveway questioning what I was supposed to be in life. One of the most
powerful for me is the choral arrangement of “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”
that our college chorale gathered together and sang in the rehearsal room
the morning of September 11th,
2001 during the World Trade Center attack. And most recently “Baby Mine”
sung by Alison Krauss (and my wife) as a lullaby for our newborn son,
Braeden.
There are countless other songs in my life, as I am sure in yours as well,
that are tethered to moments that make these songs very special. Without
those moments, the songs have far less meaning to us. This is in part why we
all have a hard time connecting to new or different music. The songs are
simply not tethered to the moments we recognize or appreciate. When we
gather for worship we all bring our experiences of what it means (and more
importantly what it
feels
like) to be together as a worshipful and worshiping community. If the music
we play is not tethered to
your
experience, then it is unlikely to emotionally move you or interest you in
the moment. Here is where we have to make a conscious choice. You see,
almost every song that is your favorite is likely
unintentionally
tethered to your moments of importance. The “Mighty Fortress” arrangement I
mentioned earlier would have never had the significance for me that it does
today without the impact of the 9/11 attacks. The only way we are tethered
to our music is by experience, and the only way to
become
tethered to new or different music is to
continue
to
experience that music. Few of us would disagree that both unity
and
diversity are important to us all.
If
that is true, then we must make the choice to experience it, until it
becomes tethered to who we are as a community of faith. Before you begin to
think this is only for those of us who only love the old standards, the same
is true for the songs we think are tired and old. How many times had I sung
“A Mighty Fortress” before that day? The music you think you cannot relate
to or cannot be a part of is only an experience away. Perhaps the music is
tethered to negative experience. It is time, for the sake of unity and
community, for us all to sit back and think about becoming tethered to the
music of
right now.
The music of right now is anything, old or new, that we sing together as a
congregation in whatever style, instrumentation, or level of complication it
comes to us in. You see, when we all decide to become tethered to the music
of right now, we actually become tethered to
each other.
In Christ,
Jacob Winslett
Director of Music
Email
Jacob
Cell: 770/733-3713
Adult
Chancel Choir |
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Awakening Praise Team |
The New Day Singers help to lead us in worship
every Sunday for our 11am service. This group is open to ages teen and
up and offers numerous styles from ancient to modern. We practice from
7:30pm till 9pm every Wednesday evening. |
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Our early service features the Awakening praise
team with modern instruments and arrangements from jazz to rock, pop and
good ol' fashion hymnody. Vocals and instruments meet on Tuesdays from
6-7pm.
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Children’s Choir |
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Handbell Choir |
This is our children's group that meets as part of
the normally scheduled Kid's Club on Wednesday night from 6:30 to 6:50pm. |
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This wonderful, joyful noise-making group meets on
Sunday afternoons from 12:30-1:30pm |
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String, Woodwind, Brass and Percussion |
If you
play any instrument we guarantee there is a place for you here at FPC. Our
music library is filled with music to fit any musician from beginner to
expert. If you are interested in playing your instrument at some time here
at Fayette, the door is wide open! |
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