Faithfulness
Part of GraceFull experience is learning to be faithful.
Although we strive to make good music unto the Lord,
we primarily have eternal goals in mind. Faithfulness
is an eternal character quality that God Himself demonstrates
to us.
"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and
to sing praises to Thy name, O Most High; to declare
Thy lovingkindness in the morning and Thy faithfulness
by night." Psalm 92:1
Faithfulness is characteristic of
God. When God says He is going to do something, He
does it. 1 John 1:9 further illustrates this:
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness."
Certainly God is faithful to cleanse us from our
sins. He is faithful! Faithfulness
is also one of the marks of a good servant. In the
parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), the servants
who were faithful to wisely invest what the master
entrusted to them were rewarded.
"Well done, good and faithful servant! You
have been faithful with a few things; I will put
you in charge of many things. Come and share your
Master's happiness!"
With God as our example and
our helper, let us strive to be faithful in the following
specific areas:
Rehearsal and Performance Attendance
"As each one has received a special gift;
employ it in serving one another, as good stewards
of the manifold grace of God." 1 Peter 4:10
"We are what we repeatedly do, excellence
then is not an act, but a habit." Aristotle
When a rehearsal is missed, several things happen.
First, the group suffers. The Holy Spirit has given
each one of us special and unique gifts that contribute
to the success of GraceFull and to the body of Christ
in general. When you are missing, the members of GraceFull
miss your spiritual gifts. You may be the one with
the gift of encouragement that will minister to someone
who is needy.
When you miss a rehearsal you also slow the group's
musical progress down. Each time we have to go over
and rehearse parts for those who were missing means
less time to rehearse new music that we can present
to the Lord and to the body.
Our desire is to nuture excellence, which comes from
the discipline of good habits. Being at rehearsal
each week is a good habit. Make a habit of helping
to keep the rhythm of rehearsal going. Make a habit
of trying to memorize the music quickly. Make a habit
of praying for our times together. Make a habit of
getting to know those that are new to the group.
Within a larger group like GraceFull, love does not
just happen; it must be nurtured by each and every
person. Make a habit of love. Invite someone that
you don't know well out to lunch after church on Sunday,
or coffee after rehearsal.
If you do have to miss (as we all do from time to
time), please call the church office at 489-4200 and
let Pam McGill, our secretary know. She'll gladly
relay the messages each week to Glenn Pickett, our
director.
Being On Time
"Let all things be done properly and in an
orderly manner." 1 Corinthians 14:40
In order for a group as large as GraceFull to run
smoothly, being on time, starting on time and finishing
on time is a must. All of us can grow in this area.
Take this matter of promptness unto the Lord and be
faithfully on time, Sunday mornings (7:45 am.) and
Wednesday nights (7:00 pm.)
Prayer
"I thank God in all my remembrance of you,
always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer
for you all." Phillipians 1:3-4
We are much more than a glee club or mere choir,
we are children of the Heavenly Father. We are spiritual
beings that will live for eternity. We do battle in
places that are unseen by earthly eyes. Let's be faithful
to pray for each other as we minister together and
that God would use our music. Don't get up off of
your knees too quickly.
Rehearsal Helps...
Although a high commitment ministry like GraceFull
can require some self-discipline, (those dark rainy
Sunday mornings in the winter when your bed is so
comfortable) it also brings great rewards. Learning
the music is one of those areas that require some
work outside of rehearsal. To facilitate this we have
made rehearsal tapes of each voice part (soprano,
second soprano, alto, tenor, bass) available at no
cost for you to practice time away from the Wednesday
night rehearsal. If so inclined, you might want to
bring a small recorder to rehearsal to make your own
tapes of our time together.
The printed choir music is also available in order
to help you learn the parts. We re-use the music for
different occasions so please be sure to return it
as directed, or at the end of each season.
Clothing and Appearance
We know that we do much more than lead music on Sunday
mornings. Our genuine demeanor of thanks can create
an atmosphere of joy when the rest of the body gathers.
Therefore, when we stand up front of five to six hundred
people ask to focus them on God, we do not want anything
about us to distract them from that attention. Start
your "sabbath" on Saturday evening by choosing
the clothes you will wear to minister to the Lord
and His people.
Choir robes are worn for the first service. For the
second service, our clothing should be modest, clean,
neatly pressed, and (if applicable) tucked in. If
a man wears a tie, it should extend about an inch
below the belt. Shoes should be polished. Somehow
our clothing and grooming should prepare us for doing
something "special." These clothes are not
necessarily what we would wear everyday. This is Biblical.
Celebrating the return of the ark to Jerusalem, King
David and the singers were "clothed in a robe
of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying
the ark, and as were the singers, and Kenaniah, who
was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David
also wore a linen ephod..." 1 Chronicles 15:27.
Worship is "special," so what you wear
as you lead should be "special."
Because of those who are scent sensitive, please
refrain from wearing heavy perfumes and colognes at
rehearsals as well as performances. |
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