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FUMMWA CONVO BLOG
by Dean McIntyre

Thursday, July 14, 2005 (part 2)

Hymn Writers and Composers at the Convocation

I am always astounded at the hymn writers — texts and tune — as well as successful composers who attend the FUMMWA convocations. Many of them present classes on their style of writing, lead how-to classes, or introduce a newly published collection. Such is the case here. Here are some of the ones in attendance this year:

Carlton Young: "Sam" is the editor of both the 1966 and 1989 hymnals. He collaborated with Candler School of Theology worship & sacred music professor Don Saliers on a new setting for Holy Communion that will be premiered at tonight’s worship service at Grace Cathedral. Sam’s hymn tunes are found in most hymnals today and he collaborates with many writers. He has led a class, "Composing for the Congregation," in which he worked with other writers who have brought their own music for discussion. His second class, "New Music for Wesley Hymns," shows some of his new tunes for traditional Wesley texts.

Joseph Martin: well-known performer and composer of piano, choral, and other sacred music. His class was titled "The Write Stuff — Composing and Arranging for the Sacred Marketplace." He presented a second class, "Keys for the Kingdom — Music Resources for the Sanctuary Pianist."

Earl Copes: Earl is one of the FUMMWA founders and has made many contributions to United Methodist hymnody. His class: "Within the Box." Earl has also brought with him copies of his recently published collection of hymns titled Vicar’s Tunes, published by Wayne Leupold Editions, and containing Copes’ settings of texts by different writers.

Tom Troeger: Dr. Troeger recently moved from the faculty of Iliff to Yale Divinity School. He is a respected writer of hymn texts, and has been the week’s preacher for morning worship, as well as presenter for the pastor’s Preaching from the Center event.

Gary Alan Smith: Gary is the senior music editor for Abingdon Press and his music is in The United Methodist Hymnal and The Faith We Sing. He has also published many choral octavos. Gary’s class was "A Gesture Is Worth a Thousand Words — Choral Conducting Techniques."

Dan Damon: Dan is a fabulous jazz piano player in addition to being a United Methodist ordained elder serving a church in the San Francisco area. He is one of our more promising young hymn writers with several of his hymns in The Faith We Sing. Dan took us through his new published collection of his works, New Hymns for a New Day.

Austin Lovelace: Austin is also one of the FUMMWA founders and well-known and beloved among church musicians. His class, "Hymns That Jesus Would Not Have Liked," probably needs no further comment. The room was packed and filled with frequent gales of laughter. Austin also presented "A Few of My Favorite Anthems Over the Past Several Decades."

Joseph Jennings: the music director for the renowned vocal group Chanticleer. He served as our choral director and clinician for the week.

Don Saliers: collaborated with Carlton Young on the closing worship service’s setting for Holy Communion. His workshop: "Verbal and Non-Verbal Languages in Christian Worship."

Dean McIntyre: two classes: "The Future of United Methodist Song" and "Copyright and Licensing for the Local Church Musician."

Thursday, July 14, 2005 (part 1)

African-American Worship: Celebrating the Present

We loaded convocation participants on eight large charter buses in the hotel parking lot, drove into downtown San Francisco, and enjoyed a buffet dinner in a place called Jillian's, rented out to us as a private party for the evening. The staff had prepared pasta, pizza, tacos, salad, fruit, desserts, and lots more and placed them around the large restaurant in a half dozen locations. We grazed our way through dinner and enjoyed conversation, after which the buses returned to take us to the Jones Memorial UMC a few blocks away.

Pastors, people, and musicians of Jones UMC and of Downs UMC from across the bay in Oakland had joined together to host our large group for a tremendous worship service. We sang hymns, spirituals, contemporary songs, and praise choruses as the buses arrived and our people completely filled the church sanctuary and balcony to standing room only. Many songs were familiar (Sanctuary, I Will Call Upon the Lord, He Has Made Me Glad, This Little Light of Mine, Down by the Riverside), while others were new to us. Nearly all were played and sung in Black Gospel style, a new experience for some of us.

Jones UMC had three hymnals in its pews: The United Methodist Hymnal, The Faith We Sing, and Songs of Zion, and no projection screens, but most of us knew enough of the music to sing from memory. The result, with the help of the talented organist and pianist and praise band, the choir, and the songleader was a fantastic sound of melody-harmony-rhythm that filled the large sanctuary.

The service was a mix of traditional, liturgical, contemporary, and ethnic elements. The church’s young people offered liturgical dance that spread throughout the congregation and sanctuary, even into the balcony. There were intercessory and pastoral prayers. The Rev. Dr. Safiyah Fosua, Director of Invitational Preaching Ministries at the General Board of Discipleship preached the sermon, "Living in the Narrow Place." She said that the past is over and gone and there’s nothing we can do with it. The future is yet to be and may not turn out to be what we might like. Both spread out in both directions for an infinite time. All that really matters is right now, that very narrow slice of human existence and experience that we know now. It matters greatly what we do with that reality. We concluded the service with a celebration of Holy Communion that included more tremendous congregational and choir singing, ending with "Amazing Grace."

It was a 2 1/2-hour worship service, although I saw no signs of anyone being dissatisfied with the length. In fact, the generous people of these two congregations extended further their hospitality to us with a reception following the service that included all manner of desserts. We began loading back onto the buses to return to the hotel after 11:00 PM, perhaps fatigued by the long day and all the activities, but certainly energized and refreshed by the Spirit of God and warm welcoming spirit of the people of Jones UMC and Downs UMC.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005 (part 3)

Chanticleer

The Chanticleer concert at Mission Dolores Church in San Francisco was certainly a highlight of this national FUMMWA convocation. A number of adjectives come to mind in reference to a Chanticleer performance, including "perfection."

In their 2005-06 concert year the ensemble will perform over 80 concerts in 28 states in the USA plus a fall tour to Japan and an early 2006 seven-nation European tour. Their 29th CD will debut in September 2005, an exploration of the transcendent nature of chant.

Chanticleer’s reputation rests on its vocal interpretations of music from the Renaissance to contemporary jazz, from gospel to new music. Its sound is a seamless blend of twelve male voices ranging from the high soprano countertenor to bass. It is truly an "orchestra of voices."

The group continues to bring its gift of singing to young people through its artist-in-the-schools residencies and choral festivals, funded by individual contributions, foundations, and corporate support. Chanticleer has commissioned new works from numerous composers.

Chanticleer is named for the "clear-singing" rooster in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. It was founded in 1978. Current music director Joseph Jennings joined the ensemble in 1983 as a countertenor. Jennings is a frequent contributor to the group's repertoire through his compositions and arrangements, ranging from pop, to spirituals and gospel, to jazz.

The program included:

"Gaude virgo, mater Christi" / Josquin Desprez (c.1440—1521)
"Ave Maria" / Plainsong
Tomás / Luis de Victoria (1548—1611)
"The Angel Cried Out" / Vassily Titov (c.1650—c. 1715)

"Lagrime d’amante al sepolcro dell’amata" / Claudio Monteverdi (1567—1643)
"Lay a Garland" / Robert Lucas Pearsall (1795—1856)
"Song for Athene" / Sir John Tavener (b.1944)

"Veni sponsa Christi" / Plainsong
"Veni sponsa Christi" / Giovanni da Palestrina (1525—1594)
"Epithalame" / Jean Yves Daniel-Lesur (1908—2002)

"She Walks in Beauty" (Lord Byron) / Eric William Barnum (b. 1979)
"I Love My Love" / Cornish Folk Song, arr. Gustav Holst
"Mong-Gum-Po Taryung" / Traditional Korean, arr. Kim
"Jindo Arirang" / Traditional Korean, arr. "Jacqueline" Jeeyoung Kim (b. 1969)

A selection of folk songs, popular songs, and spirituals.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005 (part 2)

Bishop Willimon on Christian Worship

In his Wednesday morning plenary, Bishop Willimon spoke on Christian worship. Some of his thoughts:

He recently spoke in a church where the young children were given a bag with crayons, pictures, paper, etc., for their use during worship. On the outside of the bag was written the words "Worshiper in Training." He remarked that that was just fine, but that a bag with the same words should have been given to every adult worshiper, too.

It’s hard to worship the true God. There are challenges inherent in Christian worship:

  • Christian worship is communal. Private worship is an anomaly. An example of this is how Bishop Willimon judges how appropriate a song is. He does so on the basis of how often the first-person singular pronoun is used. Too many of our songs, especially praise songs, are centered on I, me, and my. Christian worship can and should have an abrasive quality to the individual.
  • Christian worship is inherently traditionalist and historical. It is resistant to innovation, especially with the liturgy.
  • Christian worship is not particularly spiritual. It is excruciatingly worldly; that is,"Do you want to meet God? Then, here, eat this. Drink this."
  • Christian worship is where our faith gets most particular; not God as big and eternal, a force — but particular — as in"We worship a crucified Jew!"
  • Christian worship is not what WE do — it’s about GOD! On Monday mornings we would sit in our"M&M Meetings" (minister & musician meetings) and evaluate the details of the service: keys, prelude, match of music to scripture, design, details, details, details. That’s not what Christian worship is about. In the end, it must be about God. If it’s a worship service, then it’s up to God. It’s about grace — it’s about God’s gift to us. Some churches and pastors stress what WE must do in worship: come prepared; read; study; ask questions; take notes. This is Rick Warren’s way — it’s all about you and me and not God. Rather, it should be about God and grace, a gift. God says I forgive ... come unto me.
  • Worship is wonderfully nonutilitarian. God only wants to give to us in worship.
  • Music should be the vehicle for God imparting grace in worship.

The Methodist Church Music Society of Great Britain

Nick Young, director of the MCMS in Great Britain, is in attendance at the convocation along with eight other members of that society. They presented a certificate to FUMMWA president Beverly Clement in honor of our 50th anniversary, and fifty years of service to the UMC and to God. Nick also noted that the MCMS turned 70 years old this year.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005 (part 1)

Beautiful Singing

I’ve been a member of FUMMWA since 1981 and have attended many national, jurisdictional, and other convocations since then. Among all the good FUMMWA does for participants, members, and the church, I have come to most appreciate its cultivation of vibrant, vital, strong, and beautiful congregational singing. There can be no more wonderful musical experience than being part of such a large group of musicians, pastors, and artists who give themselves fully to worship in the singing of songs and hymns.

At this convocation I’ve taken note of the continuing trend away from this appreciation and practice of beautiful, vital congregational singing. For a number of reasons, we are losing it. Some of the reasons include:

  • the spread of the use of music licensing and the resulting printing of lyrics only in worship bulletins, songsheets, and projection screens
  • melody-only songbooks, hymnals, and supplements
  • cuts in music classes, choirs, and education in the public schools
  • failure of the church to pick up the task of music education
  • rise of secular musical styles that are driven by solo artists and their personal styles, and the impact and adoption of these styles into church music
  • rise of sacred music styles coming from ethnic and global music that are melody- and rhythm-dominated

Even here, among FUMMWA members — the keepers of the tradition and style — we are printing lyrics in our bulletins. From experience I know that this group is particularly gifted at inventing its own harmony when none is present. From the first downbeat we are capable of improvising our own group harmony to a melody. But with each convocation, this happens less and less often. To be sure, the melodies that we sing are sung strongly, with gusto, and with great musical style and technique. But our need to sing harmony, blend our voices in parts, and support that beautiful melody is waning, I fear along with our ability to perform these musical functions. I noticed at the evening worship service two nights ago in Palo Alto UMC that, as we sang the lyrics from familiar hymns that are in our hymnals, only a handful of people bothered to take the hymnal out of the pew in front of them, presumably to sing the musical parts. We are not projecting lyrics at this convocation, but at other events where we have done so, I have noticed the same thing. When presented with text-only in the bulletin or on screen, we do not take the hymnals out of the racks to sing the harmony.

We will increasingly be asking ourselves, "Where have all the harmonies gone?" and"Why can’t our people sing the harmonies?" And these are the reasons why. I plead for church musicians to take measures to keep the music before their singing congregations.

Tuesday, July 12, 2005 (part 3)

Morning Worship: No Exit — No Entrance

One of Tom Troeger’s sermon illustrations this morning in worship began with a recitation of the cultural setting that was the 1960s. A number of factors shaped the 60s. The Beatles turned all of pop music on its head. The Vietnam War set generation against generation, and sent 55,000 members of one American generation home in caskets. It marked the closest the USA had come to civil war in 100 years. The Civil Rights movement literally exploded, in our streets, neighborhoods, and on our nightly television screens. It forced all Americans to confront centuries of racial oppression and sin. We endured the slayings of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert, and Martin Luther King, Jr.  Within that 1960s context, Dr. Troeger described a newspaper cartoon he had seen at the time. It showed a man inside a bare room — no furniture, no pictures, no windows. At one end there was a door that read "No Entrance." At the other end another door read "No Exit." For many of us, that was the reality of the 1960s — no way in, we were just there; and no way out, no exit; no light at the end of the tunnel, just like the Vietnam War.

One thing Troeger appreciates about FUMMWA and all church musicians is that the reality of the 1960s is not our reality. Our reality is defined by our singing of God and the very stuff of which God made the universe. We know what it means when the Psalmist says, "If I don’t praise the Lord, the rocks are going to cry out in praise." Not empty praise, not easy praise, the praise for no particular reason ... but praise because of what God has done in Jesus Christ. Our reality is one in which even the very atoms around us and in us will sing. If the rocks were to cry out, what would they say? They would say, "There! There’s Jesus! Follow that man! He’s the entrance. He’s the exit." 

Bishop’s Praise

Bishop William Willimon also spoke of praise in his plenary address in the morning. It was rich in theology, church history, observations on music, personal story, and Scripture. Here are few of his thoughts:

  • Speaking of music and standards, he said, "I have great admiration for FUMMWA. It is one of the few groups in the church that actually has standards."
  • It’s easy to simply praise. It’s a lot harder to praise in the name of Jesus.
  • Praise is problematic in our culture because of whom we praise.
  • In North America, we worship within a pagan culture.
  • Just who is the God being praised in some of our praise songs?
    • God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – in the flesh.
    • God is not malleable, flexible; we can’t shape God into some image we want him to be.
    • We have two kinds of praise in the church. We praise God because of what God has done – saved, redeemed, and delivered. Praise God! And we praise God simply for the sake and the fun of praising; "Let’s Just Praise the Lord!"
  • People on top tend to praise. We don’t praise God for doing anything in particular. We are self-satisfied in our "praise for nothing." I wonder, is there an economic connection in this act of "praise for nothing"?
  • It’s harder for people who are enslaved, downtrodden, oppressed, forgotten ... to offer praise, but when they do, their praise is certainly not "praise for nothing."
  • Musicians are powerful as individuals, and even more so as a group. They have the power in teaching and making music to form and control individuals, hence societies and cultures. They wield great political significance as they make and teach music. Plato recognized this in his third book of The Republic.

It was just about there that the bishop had to quit for the morning, leaving the jammed plenary room in a state of anticipation for what would follow tomorrow. 

Tuesday, July 12, 2005 (part 2)

FUMMWA Presidents

One of the themes this week is remembering and celebrating the past. All over this gathering there are people who have been active, more in the past than in the present, in leading FUMMWA and serving the church. A few are from the earliest days, but many are from the past and former decade, recent enough for many in the organization today to remember.

We gathered together all of the past presidents of FUMMWA who are here. It’s remarkable to see them assembled in one place, shoulder to shoulder on the stairway. Each of them has selflessly given two years of their lives to leading FUMMWA, planning the events, recruiting new members, encouraging, leading, serving. All of them have been formed and trained in the local congregation. They knew the struggles and challenges of the local church, yet each grew into the national scope of the office. They are an uncommonly blessed pool of talent and we praise God for their lives and their witness.

Row One, left to right: Sara Collins (1989-90), Austin Lovelace (1955-56),
Beverly Clement (2003-04)
Row Two: Janet Lee (1981-82), Dan Francabandiero (1999-2000)
Row Three: Diane Toogood (2001-02), Fred Lewis (1997-98), Bob Fejes (1991-92)
Row Four: Brad Kisner (1995-96), Bill Weisser (1993-94), Aaron Sheaffer (1975-76)

Tuesday, July 12, 2005 (part 1)

Convocation Vendors

It is early Tuesday, July 12, 2005, the third day of the 2005 national convocation. As you walk through the vendor display area, there is a great group of commercial vendor displays, all related to worship, music, preaching, liturgy, and the arts.

Cokesbury/Abingdon Press/United Methodist Publishing House

Cokesbury, of course, is the main anchor. As the retail arm of The United Methodist Publishing House, they do the marketing of UMC and other products. It is an amazing thing to see them show up and unload hundreds and hundreds of boxes filled with books, music, CDs, videos, and assorted other items. At this year’s convocation they set up a separate area from their main display, consisting of tables filled with choir music, books, songbooks, curriculum. Next to those items they placed stacks of large Cokesbury bags. Cokesbury will charge only $5 per bag, no matter what and how much you have crammed into it. By offering this at the FUMMWA convocation, they are both getting rid of discontinued items as well as giving attendees a great deal. Everybody wins! The main Cokesbury display area consists of dozens of tables of merchandise for sale. My experience is that very little of it goes back to the store unsold. Sometimes Cokesbury will contact a local UM church and hire on some of their youth as temporary help during the convocation, loading, unloading, packing boxes, hauling trash. Abingdon Press kicked off the convocation with a reading session on Sunday afternoon.

Other vendors on hand include:

JOHANNUS ORGANS: Their Los Angeles dealer has brought in several large electronic organs. One of these we use for the worship services in the hotel. Two others are in the vendor display area. Visitors can try them out using the headphones that come with them.

JEFFERS HANDBELL SUPPLY and HANDBELL WORLD: All the handbell music, supplies & equipment, educational materials, and gifts/specialties you can imagine.

CANDLER SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY: This United Methodist seminary from Emory University in Atlanta GA, has set up a display table of brochures and information, hoping to rope in prospective students. Several of Candler’s worship and music faculty are on hand this week, including Don Saliers and Barbara Day Miller. Don is preaching and presiding at Holy Communion during our final night at Grace Cathedral. Barbara was music director for the 2004 General Conference.

ACCLAIM INC.: Online Christian supplies and services.

AMBASSADOR TOURS: The well-known travel company that has long offered special tours to Methodist heritage and Wesley sites in England, among others.

AUGSBURG-FORTRESS: The Lutheran publisher has brought lots of music and books to sell to the United Methodists.

CHORISTERS GUILD: Lots of books and music.

BECKENHORST PRESS: Music for choir, keyboard, vocal, and handbells. This year they are also hosting a reading session of new music, providing each participant with a free take-home packet of music.

GENERAL BOARD OF DISCIPLESHIP: GBOD has a display of books and products for sale as well as lots of free brochures and resources. We’re plugging our own free, downloadable resources on our website. We’re also asking participants to fill out one of the lengthy surveys for the joint GBOD-UMPH music research project. In exchange for a completed survey while here, we’re giving away free copies of Roger Deschner’s book, Your Ministry of Singing in the Church Choir.

GIA MUSIC: Music, books. They’re also plugging the new OneLicense.net music license.

GOSPEL COLORS: Paraments and stoles and other items.

HINSHAW MUSIC: In addition to their display, Hinshaw is hosting a music reading session. Hinshaw is the publisher of all the John Rutter music.

SELAH PUBLISHING CO.: Selah has a growing catalog of solid, well-known church music composers.

WESLEY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: The UMC seminary from Washington, D.C., highlighting their various degree programs.

WORSHIP FILMS.COM: Video background loops, sermon illustrations, more.

MUSIC MANAGER SOFTWARE: Computer resources for church musicians.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES TOURS: Another tour company.

These vendors have come to San Francisco from all over the USA. For those who come to sell and make money, it is a profitable venture because they come back year after year. They also establish a relationship with new customers who will come back to them throughout the year. For those who come to disseminate information, it’s an opportunity to concentrate on those connected to and interested in worship and the arts, including about 100 United Methodist pastors.

For convocation attendees, it’s an opportunity to see lots of merchants all in one location, and to pick up some good deals for their choirs and churches.

Monday, July 11, 2005 (part 2)

No Empty Seats

The Monday night worship service, a Service of Honoring and Remembering Our Past, was held at the First UMC of Palo Alto, about 15 miles away from the hotel. It was quite an experience moving over 600 people round-trip on buses down Pacific Coast Highway 101. Each bus had an appointed "bus host" to welcome the riders and ease any tensions that resulted from overcrowding. Our instructions were to put a person in every seat, no vacancies. No bus departed until it was completely filled. This convocation has come to be known as "The Convention with No Empty Seats." Every class, every service, every meal, every plenary, every coffee break is completely filled with people. But no one is complaining. In this morning’s preaching class we kept bringing in additional chairs throughout the first half of the class. And the church tonight was no exception — a completely filled sanctuary.

Evening Worship

As we arrived in the buses and cars, we were greeted by a mariachi group — bass, guitar, 2 trumpets, and 4 violins, and all of them sang. This was to be a service that remembered and honored our past, but with great joy and celebration. This is the Dia de los Muertos celebration, a traditional service of honoring and celebrating those who have died before us.

Austin Lovelace played the organ prelude — his own "Variations on The Fellowship Hymn." This is a hymn written by FUMMWA member Philip E. Baker in 1999. It is sung at every convocation. Austin Lovelace is a beloved UM musician and one of the founding members of FUMMWA.

The opening hymn, "For All the Saints," was sung in English and Spanish. It accompanied a processional of banners created by each of the jurisdictions, along with flowers, dancers, and other pomp. As the mariachis again played, members of the congregation brought forward framed photos of the founding members and these were placed amid the flowers on the altar table at the top of the chancel. We shared a printed prayer of thanksgiving.

During the offertory, the names of all of those present at the 1955 founding and 1956 chartering convocations were read. It was a list of both known and unknown names for many of us. There were professors, pastors, organists, singers, directors, and agency staff. Some of them, like Austin Lovelace and Carlton Young, are in attendance at this week’s convocation. They and their associates of 50 years prior are sources of great pride and celebration to us, their descendants.

The scripture consisted of an interweaving of stanzas of "How Firm a Foundation" with Scripture:

  • st. 1, solo
  • Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
  • st. 2, women
  • Hebrews 11:17-29
  • st. 3, men
  • Hebrews 11:30-38
  • st. 4, all
  • Hebrews 11:39—12:2
  • st. 5, all

Bishop Minerva Carcaño of the Desert Southwest Annual Conference preached and presided over the celebration of Holy Communion. California musicians Jim and Jean Strathdee led the congregation in singing the Lord’s Prayer, also danced by a group led by Rosalie Branigan. Rosalie has danced this piece at the 1985, 1995, and now the 2005 national convocations. Musical communion setting was composed by Raquel M. Martinez and are found in Fiesta Cristiana: Recursos para la Adoración (Resources for Worship) by Joel N. and Raquel M. Martinez (Abingdon Press, 2003). Other music during the communion was sung in both English and Spanish, much taken from The Faith We Sing. The service ended with a glorious congregational singing of"Sing with All the Saints in Glory," UM Hymnal no. 702.

As is their custom at these convocations, the congregational immediately sat for the playing of the organ postlude, Dale Wood’s setting of the hymntune PISGAH, played by Amy Law. Amy is chair of the 2007 design team working on the next national convocation, to be held in St. Louis.

A number of the prayers and pieces of the liturgy for tonight’s service, as well as others this week, were written by Laura Jaquith Bartlett, a deacon in the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference. Laura also assisted with leading the worship services this morning and this evening. She has given permission for these items to appear on the GBOD worship website, and these will be added for downloading and use by other congregations as soon as possible.

Late Dinner

I’ve learned over the years that full stomachs and great preaching usually don’t go together. Preachers like to enter the pulpit hungry. I suppose it keeps them alert, not having lots of food, sugar, and carbs in their systems. Maybe it has something to do with an imagined equation, "A preacher hungry for food is a preacher hungry for seeing souls saved." In any case, my co-workers in the GBOD Center for Worship Resourcing (Safiyah Fosua and Dan Benedict) and I agreed with Bishop Carcaño to delay our evening meal until after the service. By the time we left the church, shook all the hands, and exchanged all the greetings, it was after 9:30. We found a restaurant and enjoyed fellowship (and the restaurant’s piano player) and evaluated the service over a most enjoyable and leisurely dinner.

Monday, July 11, 2005 (part 1)

Morning Pounds and Prayer

The early morning hours at the San Francisco FUMMWA convocation are no different for me here than they are at home. Shall I go for a walk and try to shed a pound or so, or should I go down and have some French toast, eggs, and bacon? One big difference is that if I choose to go for the sunrise walk here in SF, I can do it along a paved walking path that runs right along the very edge of the SF Bay, looking at the downtown skyline north, the arriving and departing SF International Airport flights directly opposite our hotel, the Golden Gate Bridge south, and Oakland across the bay, rather than walking with my white dog on the neighborhood golf course. I chose the 5:00 AM walk. It’s an amazing experience to watch the planes come in. The runway is built up as a long narrow strip of land in the middle of the bay. At that time of morning the lights are on and it looks like the planes are going to fall into the bay, but instead they seem to find that narrow runway and coast into the airport. I didn’t actually have to choose between shedding pounds and the breakfast — I managed both this morning quite well.

Morning Prayer

From its start 50 years ago, organists have been a big part of the FUMMWA convocations. That’s one reason why the earlier ones were held on campuses — so that we’d have access to chapels, local churches, and big pipe organs. With the advent of electronic instruments, we can now remain in the hotels for most of the day’s events, including morning worship. We invite one of the large electronic organ companies to bring in an instrument for us to use for worship and classes in the hotel. This week the instruments are provided by Johannus Organs. They’ve brought in a fine instrument for worship, plus two smaller instruments in the vendor display area that people can try out using the headphones. The organist this morning used all the resources of the instrument for prelude, postlude, and hymn accompaniments.

Our worship bulletin contained only the hymn lyrics — no music — and most people sang the melody. I continue to be alarmed at this kind of event for musicians, pastors, and worship leaders that we are losing the ideal and the ability to sing beautifully in harmony as a congregation. So much contemporary music is intended to be sung in unison and this is reflected in the melody-only pew editions and the projected lyrics on screens in worship. If the practice of singing parts becomes lost to our churches, it will be a sad day, indeed.

Dr. Thomas Troeger, Preacher

Tom Troeger’s sermon came out of the Genesis creation story. He told the story of how a stranger once came up to him and said, "You must be Hank Troeger’s son!" Apparently Tom bears a striking resemblance to his father. This pleased Tom to think that when people saw him they were reminded of his dad, who in his mind was a great and beloved father and person. From then on, when seeing himself in a mirror or storefront reflection, he would think ,"Hi, Dad!" And so it is with us. If we are created by God, then we bear the image of God, and share in God’s likeness. When people see us, they should be reminded of God in us.

God is creator, we are created. But we are created to be creators. Musicians and artists were created to create. And in the act of our creating as well as in our creations, we show the image of God. But in an occupied country, or in an oppressed race or class of people, it’s easy to forget that you bear the image of God. This is devastating to your self-image. One of our tasks as the created of God, as the bearer of God’s image, is to remind the occupied and oppressed — you, too, are created by God in God’s image. 

Dr. Troeger, Teacher

In the Preaching from the Center event for preachers that is part of this FUMMWA convocation, Dr. Troeger led a follow-session for the preachers. He spoke of many things, but I will share only one quote. Talking about how preachers can improve their preaching, he said, "Often your preaching will improve if you just sit down and let the people sing." (The dry quote here lacks the impish grin he had on his face when he said it.) 

This Holy Mystery

Dan Benedict, Director of Worship Resources at the General Board of Discipleship, led an engaging class in that important new document approved by General Conference that embodies the official understanding and teaching of the UMC on Holy Communion. The over 100 pastors attending were eager to go through and discuss the contents.

Other Notable Classes

The leadership talent assembled here is truly amazing. As I traveled between classes, observing and listening, watching the interaction and participation, I again saw the value of The Fellowship and how it teaches, trains, expands, challenges, and equips the entire church in worship, liturgy, preaching, and the arts. Just this morning there were classes on:

  • kids playing the organ
  • visual arts in worship
  • challenging your handbell ringers
  • composing and arranging for publication
  • minister and musician planning worship together
  • instrumental music
  • computer resources for the church musician
  • techniques in writing hymn tunes

The Afternoon

Following a delicious chef salad lunch, there were two music reading sessions: Shawnee Press and a combined publishers’ handbell session.

Bishop Minerva Carcaño taught the afternoon preachers’ class: "A Bishop’s View of the Preaching Task Today." She shared much about her own story, her younger years, her family and church, and hearing the call of God to preach. In between the time she agreed to participate in this event and the time of the actual event, she was elected bishop in the Western Jurisdiction.

Each of the five jurisdictions of FUMMWA will gather for their jurisdictional business meetings this afternoon to discuss this regional work and ministry, following which we’ll board a fleet of buses and head for the magnificently beautiful Palo Alto UMC about 12 miles down Hwy 101 along the bay for a concert and worship service.

I’ve been concerned about Bishop William Willimon who is traveling today to our convocation from Alabama. I was unable to reach him by phone and he finally called from the Atlanta airport. Because of Hurricane Dennis, he had been delayed and was worried about the many flights being cancelled because of the weather. However, his flight finally departed and he expected to be later than originally planned, but still in time to get a night’s sleep tonight and be ready for his presentations on Tuesday.

Sunday, July 10, 2005

Getting Started

It is Sunday, July 10, 2005, late morning of the first day of the 2005 national convocation of The Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts (FUMMWA). We are gathering in San Francisco for this 50th anniversary celebration of our founding. We're also gathering to hear great preaching and experience great worship presented and led by Dr. Thomas Troeger of Yale Divinity School, Bishop Minerva Carcaño, Bishop William Willimon, Dr. Don Saliers of Candler School of Theology, and Dr. Carlton Young, editor of The United Methodist Hymnal.

Since FUMMWA is an organization that exists around the cultivation of music and all worship arts (dance, drama, art, architecture, textiles, altars, preaching, more), we'll also have classes and plenary sessions in all of these areas presented by experienced and gifted leaders from local churches, seminaries, universities, and agencies of the church. There will be concerts by Chanticleer, the preeminent male vocal group in the world today, and by pianist Joseph Martin, as well as an auditioned handbell choir directed by Jason Wells and a 100-voice convocation choir.

Opening 50th Anniversary Banquet & Concert

The cavernous ballroom at the San Francisco Hyatt Hotel was filled tonight with more than 500 people in celebration of FUMMWA's 50th anniversary.  Several who attended the very first FUMMWA convocation in 1955, held in Estes Park, Colorado, were present tonight, including Austin Lovelace, Carlton Young, and Margaret Sayre. Bob Schilling, a past FUMMWA president, was also present tonight. He was a graduate student in 1955 and attended the second convocation.

Austin Lovelace shared humorous anecdotes from the early days. Carlton Young, editor of the 1966 Methodist and the 1989 United Methodist hymnals also spoke. He quoted Dr. Larry Stookey of Wesley Seminary and a member of the 1989 hymnal committee: "Yes, there were two hymnals. Dr. Young had to edit the second one in order to do penance for the first!" Dr. Young recalled that in the early days, FUMMWA (then called National Federation of Methodist Musicians, or NaFOMM) had a much narrower focus on mostly music and Christian education. This gradually grew into concern for expanded nurture, music publishing, and training events. He said that from the very first note of their very first hymn in 1955, they shared a common bedrock belief: "It was good to be together and we intend to stay together." The musicians who gathered in Estes Park in 1955, unlike their predecessors, had been trained, not as performers — organists, singers, pianists, instrumentalists, composers — but as sacred church musicians, and this was a profound difference from earlier music leaders of the denomination. They took seriously their role of music and musicians in worship, liturgy, education, and nurture.

Beverly Clement, FUMMWA’s 2004-05 elected president, made several introductions: current and past national council members, 2005 design team members, and past presidents. She also introduced Nick Young, Executive Director of the Methodist Church Music Society in Great Britain, visiting this convocation with eight other British members. Also singled out for recognition was longtime FUMMWA member Sterling Rainey, who recently completed fifty consecutive years of service as music director of his United Methodist church in San Rafael, California.

Prior to and during the meal, movies of the early convocations were projected onto two large screens in the ballroom. It was humbling to realize how many of those founders are no longer with us. We are grateful for their vision and work. David Bone, Executive Director of FUMMWA since 1991, unveiled two greatly enlarged wall-sized black and white photos of those who attended the first two convocations: 1955’s founding convocation in Estes Park and 1956’s chartering convocation in Williams Bay, Wisconsin.

Following the banquet we enjoyed a concert by The Fellowship All Star Handbell Choir, directed by Jason Wells. The ringers had to submit an audition tape for evaluation and a spot in the choir. They rehearsed for the better part of the previous day. The challenging program included ten pieces.

The first day ended with a reception and dessert around the hotel pool, with lots of what this group does best — conversation, sharing stories, meeting and greeting, and, of course, fellowship.