Small Step Toward Racial Justice

What does it mean to work toward racial justice? We can all acknowledge the evils of racism and the impact it has had and continues to have on our country. It is another thing to take a careful look at our own lives and see the places where injustice has occurred and do something to change that. 

The Laurel Heights UMC Chancel Choir recently did just that. They examined their practices using works from the African American sacred music tradition, which has richly blessed us. They decided that each time we use music from this tradition in worship, a donation will be made to a scholarship fund at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in acknowledgment of the ways that the original creators of African American sacred music have been denied credit and compensation for these works. (You can read their full statement Music with a Mission below.)  

First UMC in Austin plans to adopt this initiative. Pastor Lisa Straus is working to bring this effort to the attention of others within our district and conference as well. Others can take part by making a designated gift online or through the offering plate. Thank you to the choir for leading us! 

Music with a Mission 

Music from the Black Church, which includes gospel and spiritual songs and hymns, is found in the United Methodist and other Christian hymnals. These traditional works are sung universally across Christian churches and have been mainstreamed for decades. Singing these pieces has multiple effects: maintaining appreciation for the genre; celebrating the many unknown Black composers and musicians who created the songs, (many dating back to the slave era); and preserving African American music in connection with other movements in global music. 

Music of African descent provides the building block of all American music. When a choir or instrumental ensemble presents gospel or spiritual works, they must honor the style and context of the period from which the work originated and present the piece in the most authentic way possible, while respecting its origins and background story. The Laurel Heights U.M.C. Chancel Choir strives to prepare authentic renditions, with the assistance of legitimate choral arrangers, to enhance the Christian experience via a Global Music Ministry perspective. 

Unlike other hymns and worship music, songs from the Black Church were not published until after the names of their creators were long forgotten if they were ever even known. 

In recognition of this reality, whenever we sing gospel and spiritual songs and hymns at LHUMC, we will begin the practice of contributing ‘royalties’ in an offering that will support the development of young Black musicians. 

For this season, these royalties will support the Dr. Gloria Quinlan Endowed Scholarship fund at Huston-Tillotson University, an H.B.C.U. in Austin, Texas that is affiliated with both the United Methodist and the United Church of Christ. Dr. Quinlan grew up in Houston and began sharing her musical gifts with churches there throughout her youth. She earned degrees from Texas Southern University (B.A.), Colorado State (M.Mus.), and the University of Texas at Austin (D.M.A.) While teaching at Huston-Tillotson, Dr. Quinlan remained committed to the Black Church and worked as the Minister of Music at Ebenezer Baptist. 

If you wish to join LHUMC in contributing royalties, please use the envelopes in the pews and mark your donation as a contribution to the Dr. Quinlan Scholarship Fund. You may also contribute through the LHUMC website donation page 

https://www.laurelheights.org/give/. 

Written by Katie Myers

National Church Planters Gathering

Last Tuesday through Thursday I was blessed to attend the first National Church Planters Gathering in Orlando Florida. Created by Discipleship Ministries of the United Methodist Church, NCPG gave church planters from around the nation time to learn from each other, grow together, trade stories, worship and play together.

The blessings were immediate and plentiful. Opening worship was filled with inspiring music, preaching and liturgy reminding us of our calling and inviting us to be renewed through the waters of baptism. Water images prevailed throughout the event as leaders encouraged us to address our thirst by being submerged in God’s grace. Trying to take in a plethora of information, wisdom, insights, and processes sometimes felt like drinking from a fire hose. At other times, I found myself praising God for the blessing of time apart to simply worship and be in the presence of kindred spirits who have been gifted and called as I am—with entrepreneurial spirits and hearts on fire to share God’s love and build the kin-dom. Two of those kindred spirits are pictured with me are Kyle Toomire of the Journey UMC in Kyle and Eric Vogt of Servant Church Austin.

Another unexpected blessing was the gift of my roommate. I was a little anxious at the prospect of sharing a room with someone I do not know, but what a blessing Annette turned out to be!  Before we actually met, Annette took a photo of me renewing my baptismal vow at the opening worship service. Once we began to talk that first night, I knew I had met a friend in Christ for life. Annette is a worship leader from North Carolina. Because of her, I felt compelled to show up on time for each worship service, which were wonderful but sparsely attended (entrepreneurial church planters tend to have our own ideas about how to spend our time!). I had not realized how thirsty I was for deeply engaging worship. The music and preaching connected on all cylinders for me, filling me and renewing me in significant ways.

One of the most helpful breakout sessions for me was on Small Group Multiplication. Iosmar Alvarez, pastor of a congregation with 100 small groups gave a powerful presentation on both the process and spiritual principles for multiplying the congregation’s DNA through prayer, spiritual formation leadership development, and a systematic approach to reaching the community with God’s love in Christ. I came out of his session with a renewed vision for reaching new people through our Life Groups. Most importantly, I now have a concrete approach for transitioning Life in the City’s pastor-centric approach to assimilating new people into new places toward a more lay-led assimilation and growth process.

It was encouraging to network with other church planters. I was particularly blessed by the presence of my coach Beth Escott, who introduced me to several pastors who have developed multi-site congregations. I will be following up and in conversation with these new friends. At the end of the day, it was gratifying to break bread with colleagues in Christ and then return to my room, only to find myself drawn both nights to the beautiful hotel pool. Swimming luxurious lap after lap in the drizzling rain one night and under the full moon the next was good for my body and soul.

One of the holiest and most precious moments of the conference was time spent with Bob Allen, Director of Congregational & New Faith Community Vitality for the Rio Conference. I am so grateful that he took the time to affirm my gifting, calling, visioning and persevering at Life in the City. The words he spoke over me descended into the depths of my spirit, providing encouragement and renewed confidence in the dreams and visions God has planted in the hearts and minds of Life in the City. This encounter continued to bless me as I prepared my All Saints message, reminding me of the great cloud of witnesses that surround us and goes before us, cheering us on and encouraging us to persevere.  

The last speaker of the gathering was one of the most impactful, challenging us to innovate and to be constantly vigilant against being a Gutenberg church relying on old paradigms. The ability to create new ways of reaching people living in our Google world is the gift of planting a new church. I return to Austin refreshed, restored, renewed and grateful from this experience. I am recharged and ready for the next stage of this adventure!

Written by Rev. Pastor Valerie Sansing