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| Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Leaders, Call Your Artists Home Contributor : Dawn FungEd : Leaders of the church need to identify their artists-worshippers and call them back to the safety of the church ministry to equip their character for the gospel. Leaders must call home artists of the church to the worship team where they must be pastored, trained and equipped to go out in Word and deed. It is a time where musicians, poets, dancers, singers, mimes, sculptors, painters will weld into one body to answer that global call to worship. What does Church of Our Saviour and Lucasfilms have in common? Job, opportunities and meaning for artists - the only difference is the intention - one of them is unashamedly for Jesus. The government is relaxing rules for the arts, which is the driving force behind the communications of a nation. What is happening in the secular scene should stir up the hearts of the leaders of Christian communities to call back home the artists within the flock. The government's relaxation of rules at Speakers' Corner is evident of a trend that will set Singapore to be cultural hub for more avant garde behaviour as lifestyles follow philosophies. The thought behind opening our rusty doors is to propel Singapore into a world class nation, airbrushed with contemporary art. Any idea of Christian exposure and tolerance in society should be viewed with a critical eye - the result is not synonymous with the Great Commission but rather a touristic appeal. Therefore, leaders of the churches, it is time to nurture your artists for the gospel before you lose them, again (try any local theatre, design company or art school to locate lost sheep who are unable to reconcile art with their faith). Leaders must call home artists of the church to the worship team where they must be pastored, trained and equipped to go out in Word and deed. It is a time where musicians, poets, dancers, singers, mimes, sculptors, painters will weld into one body to answer that global call to worship. 4Your procession has come into view, O God, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary. 25 In front are the singers, after them the musicians; with them are the maidens playing tambourines. 26 Praise God in the great congregation; praise the LORD in the assembly of Israel. 27 There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them, there the great throng of Judah's princes, and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali. This passage from Psalms 68 is oft quoted in encouraging musicians and artists to praise God with their crafts. Contextualised in the whole Psalms, we learn that the procession comes into view after the acknowledged victory of the Lord. Christ has won the battle, let all his people praise him with everything that they have! Victory in Christ is against the powers of the dark world, which is manifested when the church goes out to preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons with the foundation of showing love to one another. Worship teams have always been taken by the notion of 'taking back the music/arts/drama for Jesus' but can it ever be successful if they don't get out? Worse, can it even happen if the artists are not aware that they belong first and foremost to God's army of worshippers? As such, we need to confront the growing dilemma of strategising the worship teams in church. Leaders who are still apprehensive of artists and deconstruction of an established worship team might consider taking the first step of calling the artists in church for regular prayer together, to find out the Father's heart in using the arts for the gospel. If anything, you would have identified the procession that the Psalmist described. It is through the first step of prayer that anyone might see anything remotely possible. Perhaps this is how it might be if COOS or any other church might send out its inhabitants one day to the secular industry to make that impact.
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