Guidelines
Uploaded by
Ji BautistaGuidelines
Uploaded by
Ji BautistaG os p e l C h o i r
THE REV. SHAUN WHITEHEAD, ASSOCIATE CHAPLAIN & GOSPEL CHOIR DIRECTOR
[email protected]
(315) 229-5062
MR. BARRY TORRES, GOSPEL CHOIR DIRECTOR & BAND LEADER
[email protected]
(315) 229-5171
THE REV. KATHLEEN BUCKLEY, UNIVERSITY CHAPLAIN
[email protected]
(315) 229-5256
"The voice you are born with is God's gift to you; the use of
your voice is your gift to God."
~ Kenneth W. Osbeck ~
VISION & MISSION STATEMENT
COMMUNITY GOSPEL CHOIR
Music ministry is one of the most important ministries in any church. Music ministry enhances
the worship space and “…is a vehicle that ushers in the presence of God. It sets and establishes
an atmosphere that is conducive to worship, enabling the presence of God to move freely among
the congregation, and allowing each person in the congregation to experience the Spirit on a
personal level.”1
As a music ministry our primary mission is to glorify God. We seek to do this by simply giving
our gifts back to the Creator through song. We approach every rehearsal and worship service
with a spirit of gratitude because we accept that all that we are, and all that we have, has been
given in grace by God. We recognize that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.”2
As choir members, we are called to be good stewards of those gifts and resources given to us by
the Creator. The Gospel Choir is committed to consistently ministering through music to the
community. Through music primarily rooted in the African-American gospel tradition, we
minister to others, we celebrate our lives, and we celebrate the many ways we come to God. As
music ministers, we help usher persons to experience God/Creator/Divine
Mystery/Sovereign/Great Ground of Being.
We are a unique Gospel Choir. Our members come from all over the world. Hence, we are
multiracial, multicultural, and some of us adhere to different faiths. Our unity in spirit enables us
to celebrate one another and empower others on their journeys. Music is universal and reaches
persons at the deepest levels. It has the ability to penetrate and heal the deepest despair and
engender hope. With so much unrest in our world, we are in dire need of the good news, the
Gospel; the Gospel that loves and welcomes not the rhetoric that rejects and judges. This Gospel
Choir seeks to bring and be that good news!
We’ve come a long way! We began as The St. Lawrence University (SLU) Gospel Choir in the
fall semester of 2002 under the leadership of Margaret Kent Bass, Kathleen Buckley and Barry
Torres. The choir began with a handful of committed SLU students. As the choir grew, it was
clear that we needed to widen our name to be more inclusive of all. Therefore, we are officially
called the Community Gospel Choir. We sing on a weekly basis in the Gospel Service each
Sunday at 4:00pm in Gunnison Chapel, under the leadership of Shaun Whitehead and Barry
Torres. The choir has performed at various events and churches in the Canton/Potsdam area. The
Community Gospel Choir is comprised of students, faculty and staff from the Associated
Colleges and friends from the North Country community. The choir typically numbers 10-20
members. We hope to continue our growth, as we are always seeking new members. To God be
the glory!
CHOIR POLICIES
The Community Gospel Choir is a volunteer, non-auditioned choir that provides the music ministry
for the Gospel Service sponsored by the St. Lawrence University Chaplain’s Office. Membership in
the choir is open to and inclusive of the whole North Country Community. We are a multi-faith,
multi-cultural, and racially, ethnically and economically diverse musical organization. As the
Chapel’s church choir we are committed to making the very best music we can in the African
American tradition in support of the ministry of the Gospel Service as outlined below.
Principles of the Gospel Service - taken from the Chaplain’s Office website -
http://www.stlawu.edu/chapel/celebrations.html
1. Whereas the service is rooted in the Christian tradition, we acknowledge and honor the many
ways others find their way to God
2. Collective wisdom is important, i.e. not solely priest-led
3. Focuses on compassion versus dogma
4. Multiracial and multicultural
5. Uses inclusive language for God and humanity
6. Inclusive and welcoming of others
Membership Responsibilities
While we are a volunteer and non-auditioned choir, we strive for quality music-making to the best of
our ability. Celebrating the beauty and perfection of God’s Creation requires that the means for that
celebration reflect that beauty and perfection. Quality is achieved through consistent, disciplined and
spirited rehearsal and performance. We ask that each choir member make the commitment to be at all
rehearsals and services.
1. Membership is on a semester long basis. We rehearse every Thursday from 6:30pm to
7:30pm and sing at the Gospel Service every Sunday. Call for the 4:00 pm service is 3:30pm.
Band members should arrive 15 minutes early for set-up.
2. In an ideal world we’ll all be at every rehearsal and service, but we realize that there will be
situations that will prevent you from attending. While we do not want to set rigid
requirements we do expect regular attendance. If you cannot make either a rehearsal or a
service, please notify Shaun or Barry ahead of time so that we can make plans accordingly.
We will be taking attendance at every rehearsal and service.
3. Please be on time for rehearsals and service calls. Also notification of lateness is appreciated.
4. If a Thursday rehearsal is missed, arrival at the following Sunday call by 3:30pm is
mandatory. If you show up late for Sunday you will be asked to join the congregation.
5. If attendance problems are consistent Shaun and/or Barry will discuss the situation with you.
We emphasize again that consistent attendance is a necessary element of the choir’s growth
and success.
6. A half-semester schedule of choir songs will be handed out at the first rehearsal, along with a
cd of performances of the songs. Please feel free to take the cds home to familiarize yourself
with the songs before rehearsal.
7. Song requests are gladly accepted. We encourage you to contact Shaun or Barry with your
favorites so that we may include them in the schedule. We may not be able to honor all
requests.
8. If you are interested in solo work contact Shaun or Barry. Appropriateness of the solo and
soloist is up to the discretion of Barry and Shaun.
9. If you’d like to invite someone to sing with us as a guest they are warmly welcome, but must
be able to attend the Thursday rehearsal before Sunday service. Please consult with Shaun or
Barry before making the invitation.
10. On occasion we accept invitations to perform in other venues. We try to plan these well in
advance, so that we may consult choir members. We understand that there is a limit to how
much we can do. However our purpose in singing is always to give glory to God and affirm
ourselves and all who hear us.
11. Since 2004 we have sponsored “Got Spirit?” a 3-day Gospel Music Workshop and Concert
held in Gulick Theatre at SLU. Mr. William R. Hamilton of the Chicago Mass Choir has
been our workshop leader since the beginning. Participation is open to everyone. Since its
inception, students, faculty and staff from the Associated Colleges have joined us, as well as
North Country community members. Persons of all cultures and faith traditions have united
for this awesome event held each spring. Look for it in the spring semester.
12. Finally, attitude is all-important. We need to be alert physically, mentally and, most of all,
spiritually. Making music is a total-involvement activity – mind, body and spirit. We know
that sometimes it feels like the inspiration is just not there. Trust us – it’s there, we just need
to be there. When you come, it comes!
“When we sing, we announce our existence.”
~ Bernice Johnson Reagon ~
1
Joe Pace, From Performance to Praise; Moving Music Ministry to the Next Level. (Nashville TN, 2004)
2
James 1:17 (New Revised Standard Version)
