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Priorities within the "Worship" initiative are to
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strengthen our commitment to consistency in the quality of
design, preparation, and execution of our varied liturgical
offerings;
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commit to preaching that interprets the biblical story of God's
invitation for our time and culture;
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maintain our commitment to proclaim the Gospel boldly and to
encourage a deeper knowledge of God;
-
create liturgies that employ ancient symbols and metaphors,
to kindle appreciation for our faith traditions;
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promote liturgies, such as Compline, that reflect the richness
of our liturgical heritage;
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support choirs and other musical assemblies that enhance our
ability to offer diverse music and opportunities to participate;
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promote music, rich in substance and depth, that reflects both
the experience of our time and that of previous eras, and that
connects us to the worldwide Christian community, and especially
to regions in which St. Mark's has partnerships (Russia, Nicaragua,
Palestine, and South Africa).
As a musician working in an open environment, willing to spend the time and resources to provide liturgies and music of the highest standards, I have "codified" the following six goals for church musicians. I strive to abide by these goals in all my work as a church musician. A practical example for each goal is found in brackets.
The church musician must at all times endeavor
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to uphold a worshipful and spiritual approach to all tasks
[What makes service music an offering and not a performance?
Not only a worship-minded attitude of the church musician, but
also careful liturgical planning so that each component of the
service progresses logically. That is, the musical portions
of a service must always fit the theme, mood, or general tone
of the service in order not to protrude unduly and become separate,
non-relational entities];
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to maintain the highest standards of excellence in all areas
of the profession [Make use of your experience as a trained
musician to seek the best music in all genres. Do not settle
for inferior quality, but also realize that there is worthy
music available in all styles];
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to discover & develop hidden resources within the congregation
[Discover singers who may be reticent about joining a choir,
instrumentalists who may be called upon occasionally, and pianists
or choir directors who may be able to help lead or accompany
auxiliary choirs];
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to keep the music program varied, original, and creative [Don't
find yourself in a stylistic rut; think "out of the box." At
St. Mark's traditional service we present a choral mass once
a month. In addition to the standard repertoire of masses by
Lassus, Palestrina, Willan, Walton, Byrd, etc., we also occasionally
sing masses from other cultures; e. g., the Congolese Missa
Luba and the Hispanic Misa Criolla];
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to aim for total church involvement [Joining a choir or ensemble,
singing lustily the congregational hymns and songs, or simply
active listening and being uplifted by the musical offerings];
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to assist in the search for and realization of the Divine and
to develop the skill of "creative compromise," being aware that
each person's spiritual path and search is different [Although
we do sing music associated with "contemporary" worship, we
have replaced many musically and theologically out-of-date songs
from the 60's and 70's with strong contemporary hymns while
maintaining in our repertoire such congregational favorites
as "On Eagle's Wings" and "Abba, Father"].
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