"You Pick the Music" Sunday

Music is one of those issues that will often produce great conflict in a church. Why? Because there are so many styles that are either favored or disliked. Some want hymns while others want choruses. Some want fast songs that you can clap too while others want slow songs that are easier to meditate on. Some want their music loud while others prefer their music quiet. Some want more drums while others want more of the organ. So what is a Music Director to do? Well, here’s one idea.

Bryan Nelson (our Worship Arts Director here at Grace Church) and Matt McElravy (who is currently doing a one year Music Assistantship with Bryan here at the church) are giving the entire church body the opportunity to select what songs we use in the morning worship service on October 15th which is what we are calling our first ever Grace Church, “You Pick the Music Sunday!” That’s right . . . you get to pick the music! How cool!

Here is how it works . . . at the website below, there is a list of 120 songs, all of which we have sung before here at Grace Church. In fact, there is even a blank slot where you can write in a song that is not on the list. Anyone who attends Grace Church is welcomed and encouraged to go online and vote for the songs they would like us to sing. The three songs which receive the most votes will be sung in a special “You Pick the Music” set during the Sunday morning service come October 15th.

The rules are simple. You can only vote for one song at a time, but you may vote as many times as you like. So go ahead…vote early and vote often…we’re listening! If you do not attend Grace Church, please refrain from participating. The website is at:

http://www.lgbc.org/ministries/worshipartsministry/YouPickTheMusicForm.htm.

The 3 songs which receive the most votes will be sung in a special “You Pick the Music” set during the Sunday morning service. Hey, I like this idea!!

Now, here is my plan . . . I think I am going to have the entire church staff take a full day and each one of us from 8 am until 4 pm on that day do nothing but vote over and over again for “Joy to the World” and “O Holy Night” (which are both on the list). If we did this, these songs would certainly win and we would have to sing them on October 15th.

No, we won’t do that! And please, don’t any of you decide to try to taint the outcome either. We are all very curious to see what three songs get selected. I have picked my three and have voted one time for each one of them. I then wrote my three songs down and have put them in a sealed envelope. After the final count is tallied and the songs announced, I will open my envelope to see if any of my three songs were selected. And I will even go out on a limb and commit right here and right now that after the three songs that are the winners are announced, I will reveal the three I selected. Remember to vote!!