Black churches, apparently affected by bling-bling, materialism and the decline in music education in our public schools, are finding it difficult to attract musicians who are also into the spiritual side of the church. Check out this article that appeared over the weekend in The New York Times by Samuel Freedman: "Black Churches Hungering for Musical Talent".
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/13/us/13religion.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5070&en=5b2fd5781a068214&ex=1169442000
Here's an excerpt:
"Mr. [Eli] Wilson started playing piano at age 6 in the church his father pastored in New Orleans. Now, at 58, he embodies a breed that is rapidly vanishing.
'When I was coming up, the emphasis was on using music to develop and grow people, spiritually,' he said. 'Right now, it’s all about the tightness of the band and spotlighting the best voices. So instead of looking for people who have a heart for ministry, you look for the best musicians. And for them, it’s just another gig.'"
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1 comment:
the ministry was never just another gig for me.
i grew weary of increased demands on my time with little consideration for me as a MEMBER of the body.
AND a single parent.
for my last 2 years at Second Baptist, my children spent more evenings at home while I was at church than they EVER did while I was "gigging".
kgordon
former M.O.M.
Second Baptist, Aiken, SC
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