RENEWING GOD’S HOUSE TOGETHER THROUGH GROWING AND LEARNING:  I Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up…

We learn and grow with each other as we encourage one another and build each other up.  Salem offers many opportunities for learning and growing including worship services, small group studies, service projects, and even social events.  

One of my areas of learning and growing has been church music.  Music hasn’t always been a key interest to me. In fact, until about twenty years ago I was not singing in any church choir or men’s quartet, or even being very vocal during worship hymns for that matter.  My singing in church today is the result of encouragement from several people. My wife, Kris, encouraged me to consider church choir several times, and I “politely declined” until she succeeded in getting me to be a background singer in Salem’s play “Shhh Quiet, God’s Talking!” because the songs were just fun to sing.  

During those rehearsals, the late Al Hagen was sitting in front of me.  He turned around, looked at me, and said “You need to join church choir.”  A few days later, the late Michael Morris (our church choir director at the time) invited me and encouraged me to come to church choir and try it out.  

I still remember my first choir practice, trying to figure out how to sing the bass line rather than melody.  That’s when Walt Anderson became my mentor. Walt, one of the bass singers at that time, patiently encouraged me during choir practices as I sat next to him the following months (and years).  Through encouragement from several people, I enjoyed worshipping God through music and continue to grow in that means of praising our Lord and Savior in song.

Heavenly Father, We give you thanks for fellowship in our lives.  Help us to encourage one another and build each other up in order to serve you more faithfully.  Amen.