WITH GRATEFUL HEART

  On my www.paulclarkjr.com blog today I have posted a reminder to do more than count your individual blessings, but rather, to live thankful lives.  At the same time, part of my own thankfulness this week surely cannot help but focus on the joy of serving among Tennessee Baptists in the very area of ministry that should help our spirits of gratitude more than any other.  Today I am reflecting on some of the events of this past year that have run the proverbial gamut from moments of joyous celebration to scary moments of fear and trepidation spent with different ones of you who serve in worship and music ministry.  Obviously, our times of celebrating years of ministry anniversaries, surprise appreciation parties, and notorious service recognitions rank high on the “most fun part of my ministry” scale.  The privilege of standing next to many of you, whether I am addressing your church family or just standing in the receiving line, is heartwarming and enriching to my own life.  I absolutely love it!  It is never a chore or “just a job.”  To the contrary, I believe these sort of recognitions give voice to relationship models that I feel I am called to trumpet to others.  Your churches, pastors, and music ministry personnel serve as models to others who NEED TO KNOW what a good thing it is to thank those who serve us in worship and music ministry.  I love celebrating the glad times with you.

No less a humbling privilege, however, have been the times of praying for and with you in the loss of a family member, or through the fear of awaiting medical test results, or preparing for surgical procedures that have life or death consequences.  I am filled with thankfulness to be privileged to hold the hand of one of your family members, or to try and lighten the atmosphere around your “kids” as you walk through difficult times.  Listening to your hardships of ministry challenge can be challenging to me, as I am prone to want to “fix it,” when, truth is, there is usually little I can do beyond listening, and of course, praying.  Perhaps most perplexing is when there are relationship issues with pastor or people, and I sense your hurt in such matters.  Quite often I find my prayers include just crying out to the Lord on your behalf that you might know again the joy of fruitful ministry.  We know that suffering is part of our ministries, and we have the perfect model before us to help us know how.  To watch a brother or sister suffer in ministry context reminds me just how powerless I am and thus fully dependent on the Spirit.  Regardless, I am grateful to have the opportunities to be “in it” with you.  It is every bit as high an honor to take you to lunch, sit in your office, or meet you at Starbucks to share the pain, express my love and represent your brothers and sisters in ministry from across the state.  And for such, I am deeply grateful.  I am grateful to you for your confidence and friendship to reach out for the relationship, and grateful to God that He has called me to such a ministry of presence – in good times and bad.

In this Thanksgiving season I am reminded to live a thankful life, and I need look no further for inspiration toward that life than the joy of serving among you, my brothers and sisters in worship and music ministry.  May the Lord be praised through our shared lives and ministries!

            For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child

            Friends on earth and friends above; for all gentle thoughts and mild:

            Lord of all, to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

                                                                        Folliott S. Pierpont

WORSHIP BUILDS BRIDGES

  Over the last 13 years certain visions for ministry at TBC have been prevalent.  I would be transparent enough to tell you I have been a doubter at times (aka lost faith that these visions might be realized during my time here), but my doubts have not destroyed the visions.  One of those visions was to more directly involve the Tennessee Mens Chorale and Tennessee Ladies Chorus in partnership missions.  I have always believed in the power of music to touch people’s lives with the Gospel, and I know how well these groups can make such music.  This vision has become reality in the Lord’s time in the His way through His provision.  TLC has shared in Montana and Iowa, and TMC has ministered in Brazil, Wales, and Montana as part of our Tennessee partnerships.  We continue to realize the vision this coming year with TMC heading to Italy next Fall, and I continue to believe  that important ministry awaits us in that country where the Gospel message is so desperately needed.  I am praying for where TLC might minister through song next as well.

Another vision that has been on my mind and heart for these years has included a dream that lines of racial divide could begin to be crossed, allowing worship and music-making to be celebrated among integrated believers.  I have purposefully visited churches in our state of different ethnicities to get a feel of those environments and prayed that these visits might help begin to build bridges.  I am not always “comfortable,” per se in those settings, but I have always been welcome.  The Chattanooga convention presented us with a golden opportunity that I believe was providentially orchestrated.  With Dr. Fred Luter preaching our TBC annual meeting message, our executive director asked that music for the morning session in which he would preach would include ethnically mixed leadership.  Working with Brother Willie McLaurin, our TBC African-American and Leadership Specialist, I contacted Marcellus Barnes, Minister of Worship at Mt Canaan Baptist Church in Chattanooga.  One thing led to another and not only did Marcellus offer leadership for our Wednesday morning convention worship, but after discovering his church had a Men’s singing group, I invited their participation in our Sunday night Tennessee Men’s Chorale concert in Athens prior to the convention.  They accepted and I have to say that in my estimation our time together was wonderful.

I want to thank Mike Dannel for trusting me in my request to bring the Mt Canaan group to his church for the TMC Sunday night concert.  His willingness to share that vision opened the door for shared ministry.  I am convinced that when the Gospel is at work in us, we are drawn together.  The scripture that says, “in Him (Christ) all things hold together,” (Col 1:17) surely includes His creations being drawn together in racial harmony.  Since we are participants in the ministry of reconciliation, reconciling the world to Him, bridging relationships through shared music-making and praise offering is surely included.  I pray the joyful experiences of Sunday night’s concert at East Athens will be a beginning point of more shared experiences.  The Lord inhabits the praise of His people…especially when those people are unified in a desire to offer Him music to the praise of His glorious grace!