Village Baptist Church Choir Newsletter January 2017

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Part 14 – The Incarnate Word The Word (Christ) became flesh and dwelt among us according to John’s Gospel 1:14 where it also says “In the beginning was the WORD (God Himself!) The scripture uses words to spell out the plans and programs of God, Words are very important to God, He used them at creation, He uses them in the redemption process—we are to believe in Jesus and HIS WORD wherever He uses it for HIS WORD IS TRUTH! The world in general and MACY’S department store in particular uses “believe” without stating the object of what/who we are to believe. We saw “believe” at the Cubs games in the world series, coaches say “you gotta believe”, we see it most every day but seldom do we see where this belief is to be placed—scripture leaves no doubt; the object of belief is to be GOD, He is the very essence of “trustworthy!” We use words to preach the Gospel, we use them to express messages of saving faith both to other ‘believers’ and to those who haven’t yet trusted in Christ as Savior! Words are messengers for both truth and error, they can be beautiful or ugly, sacred or vulgar, worship or blasphemy, spoken or sung.

The point is WORDS are important, how they are communicated is up to the user of them—how clearly they are enunciated leads to conclusions reached. How do singers employ words? We sing with all kinds of sounds comprised of vowels, consonants, and noises sometimes stretched over awkward harmonies and melodies—this “delivery system” requires an extensive set of techniques which in turn demand rehearsal and discipline. Words can clarify or confuse, bless or curse, but they must be understood by the hearer. The word becomes the ‘living word’ only when biblical and when comprehended in ‘spirit and truth’! As with any preaching, this also depends on the integrity of the messenger and Spiritual preparation with determination to be the mouthpiece for God’s WORD!

In music words are optional; some of the most beautiful descriptive and aesthetic concepts expressed musically are wordless. I would assert that well-chosen words sensitively set to

Essential Re-choirments – Gordon Borror

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Village Baptist Church Choir Newsletter January 2017

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well-composed music will strengthen the message being delivered by triggering both emotion and intellect; the music setting the scene/mood enabling the text to trigger/penetrate the mind. This makes music very beneficial to the Church, although it has led to some confusion over the centuries. People who see value only in what is said with words because they can be more specific find the music more of an obstacle than a vehicle. People who feel deeply can become so enamored with the music that they miss the text all together; either extreme is most unfortunate. Employed properly through Spirit-led artistry they are one of the primary and most useful tools in ministry. Confusion at this point has been a divisive scheme of hell to create tension and chaos that has frustrated the people of God for centuries. The value of music to teach doctrine, give us expression for worship, create community through singing is lost in the argument—some have even forbidden musical expression (or don’t come into the service until music is over) in the corporate gatherings of the Church to keep peace. This gives Satan the victory by defeating the very reason God made His people with voices, which enables them to sing of His greatness and glory and to sing of His redemptive plan thus spreading His gospel to the nations!

Music with biblically based text is both practically and historically significant among people who are redeemed and sealed by God the Trinity Who has been involved with worship since the dawn of creation! The Psalms have established that much of the music contains WORDS which are to be sung and understood by His people. As people of worship, let us rehearse our Faith by SINGING with Spirit and understanding. Let the WORD richly indwell you!! Col. 3:17

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Village Baptist Church Choir Newsletter January 2017

The Church’s Message by Peter Borgdorff

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 3:10-13

The … wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms … Ephesians 3:10

The mission of the church is to make known the “manifold wisdom of God.” But to whom does the church speak?

The most common answer is that the church should speak to people who don’t know or acknowledge Jesus Christ. That is the Great Commission given by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20. But Paul states that through the church, God’s message is to be made known to “the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.” This goes well beyond the traditional understanding of sending a missionary somewhere or giving a personal testimony in a worship service. Paul understands that the church witnesses to everything and every being. Even spiritual powers “in the heavenly realms” sit up and take notice of the church’s message.

We are sometimes tempted to limit Jesus’ saving work to our own personal relationship with God. But Christ’s work blows apart the dividing line between the sacred and the secular, between the physical and the spiritual, between what we do in the church and what we must do in the world. Everything is included in God’s design and purpose accomplished in Christ.

Today, as you serve as a witness to the gospel, remember that even spiritual authorities and powers are taking note of the message your life displays.

Prayer

Thank you for including everyone and everything in your plan of redemption, Lord. Thank you for redeeming all who confess your name and believe in your Son. Amen.

Guest Devotional

Foundations Of Faith

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Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven

Henry Francis Lyte abandoned studying Medicine for Theology, and took Holy Orders in 1815. In 1818, he underwent a great spiritual change, which shaped and influenced the whole of his life, the immediate cause being the illness and death of a brother clergyman. In the mid-nineteenth century, the pressure was on hymn writers to keep their versifications of psalms as close to the Scriptural text as possible. Henry F. Lyte would have none of this however, and boldly published a book of psalm paraphrases entitled Spirit of the Psalms. Lyte decided he could maintain the spirit of these beautiful texts while still using his own words, probably with the intention of making the reader see the psalms in a new light. One such paraphrase is “Praise, my Soul, the King of Heaven.” Lyte’s text speaks to the love of God and our dependence on Him in a clear and imaginative

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way. Think of what might happen if we woke up every day with these words on our lips: “Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, evermore His praises sing.” How would our lives change if we walked through our days singing “Alleluia!” or through our times of sorrow declaring that we rest in the gentle hand of God? This is a text with beautiful imagery and thoughtful prose that, like Psalm 103, gives us words to praise our God with heart, mind, and soul.

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Village Baptist Church Choir Newsletter January 2017

Main Adult Choir Website: http://tinyurl.com/guqjtrw

Adventures in Great Singing

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Singing Lesson 4

Legato Singing

While much is made of breathing when learning to sing, singers progress faster when the technique of "legato singing" is practiced first. It's important to remember that singing and speaking use the same muscles. The difference is that "speaking" involves short bursts of tone (and air!) while singing results from the tone being held longer for each note. In other words, the tone "keeps on going without a break" or you could say that the tone is "sustained". This is what we mean by legato singing. It's a method of study that has been practiced for hundreds of years. (If you are interested, it's called "bel canto")

It's important to mention that each time you practice, it's a good idea to "warm-up" at the beginning of your singing session. Just as athletes need to warm up if they are going to use their bodies to their full potential, so singers must warm up in order to allow the vocal chords to function at their maximum level. The warm-ups given below can be used every time you practice singing.

Also, if you have access to a keyboard, your vocal progress will be much faster. By having a piano, or any piano app on your PC, smartphone, or tablet, you can give yourself a pitch (this will be important for today's lesson) on which to start your warm-ups.

Today, we begin by singing the vowel, "hee" (just like the word he or she) several times. Remember as you sing make sure that you practice doing the following:

• sing strongly

• practice standing up (or sitting with back straight)

• practice in front of a mirror (a bathroom mirror will do)

Now here are the beginning warm-ups I'd like you to do as often as possible

Exercise #1:

1. Sustaining a vowel "one pitch at a time". Find a comfortable low pitch. If you're a man, probably around B flat (one octave – 8 white keys plus one black key below middle C) on the keyboard. If you're a woman, then aim for middle C.

2. Sustain (hold) the vowel "hee" on that single note for about 4 seconds. Then stop and take a breath and begin singing on the next note going up the scale. (Listen ([Men | Women ]) When you sing the vowel "hee", you should have a slight smile on your face. Plus, don't drop your jaw. Singing "hee" and speaking "he" should "look" the same in the mirror. By the way, a hand held mirror will work just fine. This is very important.

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Village Baptist Church Choir Newsletter January 2017

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3. As you sing, go up the scale from low to high. If you don't have a keyboard, go up five notes. If you have a keyboard you would go from C to G utilizing the white keys. Regardless, don't go too high. Easy does it. When you are at the top, repeat the process singing "hee" on your way down.

Exercise #2: 1. Sing a 5-note Scale "Up and Down". Now, starting on the same pitch as Exercise #1, sing "hee"

in a five-note pattern going "up and down" the keyboard. For example, sing "hee" on 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1. If you place your thumb on middle C just let your fingers play on all the white notes: c-d-e-f-g-f-e-d-c.

Next return to lesson #3 and repeat singing Holy, Holy, Holy as detailed for you. As described in lesson 3, try to sing all of the stanzas of this hymn in a very slow and sustained manner. Repeat the hymn many times, being "picky" about connecting the tone. Also feel free to try this on another hymn as well. A good hymn for this would be "Abide with Me". (Notice the diphthong on ‘abide’. Remember, you should sing: ah-baaaaheede weeeth meee, etc. The key to "learning to sing" is to stick with it—and don’t be afraid to ‘sound silly‘ - that's why you need to practice alone. Keep the faith, sing strongly and you will get the hang of it.

A minister was completing a Temperance sermon. With great emphasis he said, "If I had all the beer in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river." With even greater emphasis he said, "And if I had all the wine in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river." And then finally, shaking his fist in the air, he said, "And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river." Sermon complete, he sat down. The song leader stood very cautiously and announced with a smile, nearly laughing, "For our closing song, let us sing Hymn #365, "Shall We Gather at the River."

It’s all in the timing…

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Village Baptist Church Choir Newsletter January 2017

Lorraine Mix As an aspiring Soprano, Lorraine started singing at the Vancouver Bible Institute. Even though the choir was small, she had fun on their choir tours to the West and East coasts. Lorraine started at VBC in November 1971. She was here 10+ years, before she attended another church, where she met her twin, Lois. They both came back to VBC about 5 years ago. She has several hobbies, like going to the race track (just kidding!), knitting for World Vision, exercising, and hiking. Her favorite hymn is “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”. Her favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:19, “My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

Ron Henricksen

As one of our tall Basses, Ron has been singing in church choirs since 3rd or 4th grade. That’s impressive! Ron has been attending Village for over 42 years. That places Ron in a small group of Village historians that could tell you everything about Village. As you might think, one of his favorite hobbies is visiting his grandchildren, and photography – of his grandchildren! Like Lorraine, one of his favorite hymns is “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”, along with “When Morning Guilds the Skies”, and “The Love of God”. One of his favorite verses is John 1:12, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”

Choir Member Spotlight

January 12 - Emil Chui, 14 - Brian Kim, 18 - Lynne Kobylecky, 27 - David Kim, 30 - Bonnie Chui