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February 25, 2008
Black History Program Wrap-up
Well all is said and done. Months of preparation came to it's fruition this weekend. Here's a few thoughts that I have had about it:
Amanda Salmond is my hero. She was the coordinator of the dress rehearsal and the program. She created a rehearsal plan and then made sure that everything happened at the right time, fielded questions, and solved problems. It was so nice me to just stay with the band and oversee the actually performance elements in the rehearsal and not have to worry about shouting at someone on the other side of the gym to go find somebody else who is supposed to be doing something...anyway, it was a HUGE relief.
Planning ahead is really good. This year I had the date picked very early and the appropriate spaces reserved. Last year, I couldn't have a Friday night rehearsal because I failed to check the church activities calendar to make sure that I could use the space. Next year, I want to have even more planned as early as possible. I'm going to a have our first choir planning meeting in August this year.
Let people use their gifts! I was able to play guitar and lead the band...that is my strongest gift, not conducting. I can do a passable job at conducting a choir, but I much prefer to find people who are excellent conductors who can do it for me. Next year, I don't want to conduct anything!
There were a lot of people offering help the week of the event, but the real work happened in January. Choirs take a lot of advance planning. A lot more that a worship service. They involved lots of people and lots of communication, and very specific music to work with. This year, I want to find people who are willing to do the January work too.
On Sunday, I sat in on a pot-luck lunch for African Americans so that they could share with the leadership thoughts on how we're doing in loving their community. One the things brought up was how important and valuable it is to remember the history of Black people in the USA. They expressed a desire for the next generation to not be ignorant of the road they have traveled. It was very affirming to me that our program is a very important part of the ministry of reconciliation at our church.
I hope next year that a committee will form to plan more events in Black History month that are not musically related. Sunday School classes about Dr. King or about the role of the church in American Slavery or an overview of Gospel or other topics that would be more than a chronological recitation of events.
Maybe by this time next year, we'll have an African American pastor who can help give some much needed leadership in this area.
Church Musican , Following Jesus , Multi-Cultural Ministry | By Kirk Ward | 12:48 PM
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Comments
Speaking of The Black History Program do you (or anybody else that may be reading this) know if the program was taped? Audio or visual?
I hope to post some photos of the choir, that is, if all goes well.
Thanks for all your hard work! You too Amanda, Julia, Odetta, and Susan!
Posted by: Heidi Vincent at February 25, 2008 2:00 PM