Editor’s Note:  In this day and age when some churches have ‘fired the choir’ in favor of praise teams, Jubilate Music Group invited Mark Hill…Minister of Music at First Baptist Church Garland (Texas)…to express his thoughts on building and maintaining a successful choral program in today’s church.  Mark leads a flourishing music program at this large church.  Of particular interest is his success at attracting twenty and thirty-something aged members to his ministry (in addition to older folks).  Our thanks to Mark for sharing his thoughts about the blessings of shepherding a strong, choral-centric music ministry.

God Still Uses Choirs!

I have been blessed to serve at First Baptist Garland, Texas for almost fourteen years. Our church has a great musical heritage that includes choirs and instrumental groups.  We desire to encourage all ages to use their gifts to sing and play praises to the Lord. Our choirs start as early as age 4 and range to 90+!  It can be challenging in our current culture to continue the legacy of using a choir to lead worship weekly when many churches have replaced choirs with praise bands and schedules are more packed than ever before.

God has continued to bless our Preschool and Children’s Choirs as they learn how to worship and praise Jesus through the gift of music. I believe that our Preschool and Children’s choirs provide a foundation both musically and spiritually. How many of us learned our first Bible verses as songs? Our Children’s Choirs present a musical twice a year, memorize hymns and praise songs, and sing in worship services several times a year.

The next step for our students is to worship together through our Middle School and High School choirs. These students rehearse faithfully September through early July, lead worship, present musicals, and serve during a summer choir mission trip.  The senior class takes a lead role planning which songs to use for the musical, creating and teaching the choreography, and leading worship times during the mission trip.  The summer mission trip is a huge draw for our students – they love to sing and serve in communities all over the United States.  Music has granted us the opportunity to witness in places that would not be open to other forms of the gospel.  We have sung the gospel in a Muslim market, a Hindu temple, and many other areas where traditional witnessing methods would not be welcome. We are blessed to have approximately 100 students participating weekly in our youth choirs.

Our Sanctuary Choir is a vital part of our Music Ministry and they lead worship every Sunday in our traditional worship service. (We also have contemporary and blended worship services.) I realized early in my ministry at FBC Garland that not every adult at our church who wants to sing in a choir is going to attend the traditional service. To give those people an opportunity to participate, the choir also sings once a month in our blended worship service, and they are also able to sing with the choir for our Easter and Christmas presentations. I encourage you to utilize your choir weekly and to challenge them musically and spiritually. Our choir loves to sing and lead worship and also enjoy getting “outside the walls” of our church to minister through music at assisted living centers in the area.

One of the hardest questions to answer is, “How do you get young adults to be involved in choir?” There is no easy answer, but here are a few ideas and tips that have worked for us:

• Build personal relationships with young adults and then invite them to choir
• Provide childcare for rehearsals
• Have fun and creative parties and include door prize cards in any new music you put out. Door prizes can be anything from a candy bar to gift cards, you don’t need to spend a lot. We’ve even used bottles of water!
• Visit adult bible study classes and find out who has sung in school choirs or church choirs in the past.
• Use social media to promote your choirs. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are all good options.
• Most importantly: pray that God will send you young adult choir members. Prayer works!

God still moves and works through music and choirs of all ages and sizes. Keep singing and keep encouraging others to sing – God inhabits the praises of His people.

Mark Hill has been the Minister of Music/Worship at First Baptist Church in Garland, TX for 14 years and has been in the full-time ministry for 26 years. Hill graduated from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, TX with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Church Music in 1991 and a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting in 1993. He is also the Assistant Director of the Singing Men of North Central Texas and Assistant Varsity basketball coach for Wylie Preparatory Academy.

Mark has been married to his wife, Darcie Hill, for 24 years and they have 3 children: Callie, 20 (Jr. at Baylor University); Abbie, 15 (Freshman HS); and Isaac, 7 (2^nd grade).  Hill enjoys spending time with his family, playing tennis and basketball, watching sports (especially the Dallas Cowboys & UNC Tarheels) and entertaining with comedy and music! His favorite hymn is “My Jesus, I Love Thee” and his life verse is Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Editor’s Note:  Dr. Stan Pethel is Professor of Music Emeritus at Berry College near Rome, Georgia. He has been on the music faculty there since 1973, having served as Chair of Fine Arts from 1994 to 2013. He holds Bachelor of Music, and Master of Fine Arts degrees from the University of Georgia and a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the University of Kentucky. In addition to his duties as Chair of Fine Arts at Berry College, Dr. Pethel taught music theory, composition and arranging, world music, and low brass lessons.  He retired from Berry College in May 2016.  Dr. Pethel is a widely published composer and arranger with over 1300 works in publication with 30 different publishers.  His writing includes works for choir, piano, organ/piano duet, symphonic band, jazz ensemble, orchestra, handbells, solo instrument and piano, and various chamber music ensembles. He is a regular recipient of the ASCAP Standard Award. Dr. Pethel has served as minister of music at several area churches in the Northwest Georgia area.

He is married to Jo Ann Pethel, a pianist and music educator. They have three children and five grandchildren.

JMG:  What and when was your first published piece of music?  How did it feel to see your music and name in print for the first time?

SP:  It goes back a way.  Back in 1976 I composed a setting of Patrick Henry’s Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death speech, four movement oratorio style, college choir level.  The Berry College Concert Choir performed it and it was a big success locally. There was a fellow in the audience that wanted to publish it, so he started a publishing company.  Well, nice idea and it sold a few hundred copies, but that company didn’t last but a few years even with some anthems added later on as well.

 My first “national” publication was a setting of a text from the 1956 hymnal, Are Ye Able Said the Master in a denominational publication titled Gospel Choir in the late 1970’s.  Those periodicals became a great outlet for my writing in those days.  It’s still rewarding to see your name in print.

JMG:  What do you enjoy most about the compositional process?  

 SP:  It varies.  Sometimes it’s a blank page to a completed work. This can happen with anything from a symphonic band piece to a piano prelude.

 Other times it is the arrangement of an existing tune in a different treatment, or perhaps an existing text to a new tune.

 Either way, it’s a matter of creating a moment in time for listeners using music.  Music for me, is basically using notes, rhythm and often lyrics to create a meaningful and interesting  experience for the listener.   The neat thing about music is that it can be re-created, maybe not exactly the same way, but basically it can happen again and again.  Just think of the classics by Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, et al.

JMG:  Who have been the most influential people in your writing career?

 SP:  I’m sure my fellow composers and arrangers in the church music field will agree that we have been given special gift from God to do what we do, and a unique role to play.  It is up to us to use that gift in a responsible way.

 Along the way there are those who help you develop your skills.  Here are mine:

 My high school band director, Ron Evans,  a fine musician and conductor.  He started me on trombone and became my mentor.  My arranging career started in high school doing Herb Alpert tunes and other pop tunes charts for my high school band.

 My college music composition instructor at the University of Georgia, Dr. John Corina, an oboist, church musician, organist and composer.  He made me get serious about music composition.

 JMG:  You have a musical out with JMG (on the Alfred Sacred imprint) titled “There’s a Song in the Air.”  Tell us about that! 

 SP:  I’m a child of the 1956 Baptist Hymnal and one of my favorite carols was and is There’s a Song in the Air. 

 It’s a fine melody that I could use in a simplified “leit motiv” kind of way, and it includes a lot of the Christmas story.

 It will sound great with a smaller choir and even better with a large one.  Traditional telling of the Christmas story with familiar carols and original music.  An optional drama is available on-line for no charge.

 JMG:  With the changing tides of church music styles over the last few decades, what encouragement can you give to choir directors of today’s church?

 SP:  We have witnessed some major changes or perhaps better stated a broadening movement in church music in the last 20 years that is primarily generational in my opinion.  I remember the first time I saw a drum set in a church sanctuary about 1966 for the musical Good News.  Scandalous!  Now it’s rather commonplace.

 I would encourage today’s church music leaders not to abandon the importance of choral singing and congregational participation.  Avoid the “performers on stage syndrome” and keep the emphasis on congregational participation, quality of music, and a worship centered presentation.  Musical literacy may be on the decline, but the historical foundations of music for the church have not changed.

 There are churches of all sizes and styles these days.  Music leaders will hopefully lead in worship with both new songs and the heritage hymns of our faith.

 JMG:  Is there a writing project you have yet to tackle or hope to accomplish?

 SP:  Not really.  Over the course of my career I’ve composed and/or arranged for everything from unaccompanied flute to full orchestra with a saxophone section!  There’s even a concerto for trombone and orchestra from my graduate school days.  Maybe a soundtrack for a documentary?

 JMG:  Do you have a favorite story of conducting something you wrote?

 SP:  I get some comments at Composer Days that are quite interesting.

 Concert attendee:  “Every song you right is better than the next one.” (Think about that )

 Concert attendee:  “The music you write has meant so much to my husband since he lost his mind.”

 Concert attendee:  “Your music is like water to a drowning man.”

 And my favorite:

 Elderly lady:   Stan, “You look just like my third husband.”        Me:  “That’s something.  How many husbands have you had?”        Elderly lady:  “Two!”

 JMG:  “Getting to Know….Stan Pethel” -  Our “Lightning Round” of quick questions and answers:

 -What is on your summer reading list?

 SP:  My two favorite authors are Joel Rosenberg and John Grisham.  I read just about anything they write.  Right now, I’m in process of reading John Grisham’s Gray Mountain.

 -What types of music do you listen to most?

 SP:  Southern gospel, jazz standards (especially anything with a good trombone soloist), and blue grass.

 -What is your favorite vacation spot?

 SP:  The Caribbean.  Jamaica, St. Lucia, Bahamas, etc.

 -What is your favorite summertime frozen treat?

 SP:  Pineapple sherbet!  Mayfield preferred, but any brand will do.

 JMG:  Thank you, Stan, for your time today.  You’ve long since earned a following with music directors literally around the world for your playable and singable arrangements.  Keep up the great work, and we’re honored to have your music with Jubilate Music Group.

Browse Stan Pethel's publications here.

Editor’s Note: The following interview was conducted by Mark Cabaniss of Jubilate Music Group.  Mark says “Doing this interview with Mark Blankenship was a true honor and pleasure.  Mark’s work as a composer/arranger/producer/publisher and church musician has had a profound influence on my life and career…reaching all the way back to my high school days.  Mark encouraged me to follow my dreams when I first spoke to him as a 17-year old, and he has continued to be a source of encouragement and wisdom in my life and career.  I am one of countless individuals who has been inspired by his life, career and his music…and I am deeply honored to call him friend and colleague.  We’re thrilled at Jubilate Music Group to have his music in our catalog.”

JMG:  Mark, you’ve had  rich and varied career in the church music publishing industry as a composer, arranger, orchestrator, producer, conductor, and publisher (not to mention your work as a singer on national television with Buryl Red and in the local church).  Of all of those varied roles through the years, do you have a favorite one of them all?  If so, why?

MB:  Needless to say, I enjoyed every minute of it all. Most of my training was in the study of voice, and I received my Master of Music degree in Opera and Song Literature from The University of Texas in Austin.  While studying there, I also took some additional course work in composition and arranging, as well as studying orchestration.  I was a full-time music and youth minister the entire time I was working on my Master degree, as well as being married and our having a new-born baby daughter Beth.  

I began seeing many anthems being published by various evangelical publishers.  I said to myself, I think I can do that . . . and I did.  So my writing creativity was developing, and building upon my Church Music Degree I received at Oklahoma Baptist University.  Since I did not attend seminary, being a pastor’s son, attending OBU, and having Dr. Warren M. Angell as a mentor, gave me be a great foundation for my ministry work in the local church. So I really enjoyed local church music ministry, and then came all the prolific composition, arranging, orchestrating, producing recordings, and being involved in publishing church music.

JMG:  What was your first published anthem and how did it come about?   

MB:  My first arrangement was with Crescendo Press in Dallas (which is no longer in the business).  Then I had a few pieces taken by LifeWay (The Baptist Sunday School Board). That followed with a folk-rock collection of songs, which I first wrote for a contemporary high school ensemble at First Baptist Church, Midland, TX, and it was published by Lillenas. There were 10 selections in that collection called “Revelation" and that was influenced in musical style by much of what Ralph Carmichael and Kurt Kaiser had been writing in their youth musicals.

 JMG:  As a composer, you’ve written dozens and dozens of anthems through the many years…let alone several best-selling musicals (such as “Kneel at the Cross”).  But readers probably best know your song (with lyrics by Terry York) titled “Worthy of Worship.”  How did that hymn come about? 

MB:  Genevox had asked Terry York and me to write an Easter musical for the smaller size church.  We were in that process when Terry told me that he wanted to end the musical with a song that gave praise to the worthiness of our God.  He handed the lyrics to me at Ridgecrest Music Week in June of 1987. I wrote the music to “Worthy of Worship” the day after I returned home from that music conference.  The musical “Praise the Risen Savior” was released in 1988.  

Sometime in 1988 and 1989 when [the 1991 edition of] The Baptist Hymnal was being put together, Terry came to me and asked that I would put “Worthy of Worship” in a hymn format.  I did, and the committee accepted it, and the rest is history.  The hymn has been included in many hymnals and has been sung around the world.

JMG:  Through the years, you’ve had the wonderful blessing of conducting and hearing countless performances of your work.  Can you share a particularly meaningful occasion of one of those performances?  

MB:  Again, I have enjoyed conducting them all, but I guess three have remained stuck in my mind.  The first musical that I wrote (Kneel at the Cross), was written for the large adult choir and orchestra at North Phoenix Baptist Church, where I served for a short time.  It was also my first major attempt at orchestration as well.  The Lord blessed the performances there as well as when it was published and premiered at Ridgecrest and Glorieta Music Weeks in the summer of 1975.  The second musical was the youth musical The Followers, with book and lyrics by Ed Seabough.  It was commissioned by and written for the Baptist Youth World Congress in Manila, Philippines in 1979.  This was an incredible event and the musical was one of the many highlights of the conference.  The third was a commissioned musical for the 50th anniversary of Broadmoor Baptist Church in Shreveport, LA.  I wrote both the music and lyrics for Children of God, based on the book of 1 John.  It has always been amazing to me at the quality of choirs and orchestras which were found in local churches in 1975 and beyond and Broadmoor Baptist was one of those.  There have been more musicals that have come from my pen, but I guess these early three remain strongly in my memory.

 JMG:  In your many roles in the church music industry, and as an active church musician for decades, you’ve certainly witnessed sweeping changes in worship music.  What words of encouragement and tips for success can you offer today’s church music leader of choirs?  

MB:  I have lived through many of the changes in music experienced by churches across the country.  Many have tried to relate church growth or great worship to one style of music or another.  Or even that one style or the other will reach more people or help them to worship the Lord in a better way.  This subject has been discussed in so many speeches, articles, and books for the last fifty years.  I feel there is really no easy answer or solution for a particular church.  I think that the local church must allow the Lord Jesus to direct them through their prayers and supplications, and find what is the best direction for that Church to go.  They should not just mimic a “growing church” in their city.  I personally like most styles of music, and have written in most musical styles used in evangelical churches today.  I think that most, but not all churches find the niche for their particular church by doing a blended style of worship music which incorporate most of the musical styles available today, and then may decide to emphasize one musical style over another one. 

I must admit that I am disturbed and disappointed by the blatant decision by many worship leaders to not use our rich heritage of great hymnody.  There is ALWAYS a time in worship for “Holy, Holy, Holy,” Blessed Assurance," “A Mighty Fortress,” or "Great Is Thy Faithfulness."

JMG:  Jubilate Music Group is the publisher of the new “Mark Blankenship Choral Series.”  You’ve had choral series devoted to your music in the past.  What is your vision and dream for this new series?

MB:  I think that good choral music remains for a long time, though not always sung by many churches since the year in which the music was written.  I hope that some of my early writings that are not known as well to many churches might still see the light of day if they are reworked and released again for churches to use.  I also want to provide some new creative compositions that still reflect my writing style, and hope they will find a place in worship for many churches in all denominations. I am always looking for wonderful lyrics from people I don’t yet know, for excellent lyrics are hard to find.

JMG:  Although your bio says you’re retired, I know that’s not quite the case.  You’re seemingly as busy and enthusiastic as ever.  Tell us about some of your favorite things you’re doing these days.

MB:  Through the years I enjoyed racquetball, running, basketball, golf and other sports. But I find that in my "senior years” I enjoy spending more time with my wife Judy (we’ve been married 55 years), and we both love seeing much of the U.S.A. that we have never seen before.  We now live near our son Britt and his family in Huntsville, AL.  We also enjoy visiting New York City where our daughter Beth and her family live.  I find great delight in reading Biblical Commentaries of New Testament books.  To read in-depth explanations and insights from wonderful theologians is quite a treat for my soul, and I pray draws me closer to the Lord Jesus Christ whom I worship and serve, and for whom all this music has been written and will be written in future years.

Browse Mark Blankenship’s publications here.

Years ago (as in probably 30 – 40 years ago), the idea of a Tenebrae service was foreign to many a church.  However, the Roman Catholic Church embraced it early.  And although such a service has ancient roots, it has only become popular and more regularly practiced in Mainline Protestant churches (and even some traditional evangelical churches) in recent decades.  These “services of darkness”, as they are often called, have therefore become a “bright spot” one could say for churches coast-to-coast that are looking for fresh and creative ways to impart the Holy Week journey.

Thanks to sacred music publishers responding to the heightened awareness of Tenebrae, they have responded with a variety of publications which are ready-to-prepare-and-present as complete Tenebrae services with appropriate music and narration.

A Tenebrae is a special service for Holy Week that can be conducted on Wednesday in Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, or Good Friday (or of course any day of Holy Week when a church has a regular or additional special service).

“Tenebrae” comes from the Latin meaning “shadows” or “darkness,” so it is a service of shadows.  The Tenebrae service makes use of gradually diminishing light through the extinguishing of candles to symbolize the events of Holy Week from the triumphant Palm Sunday entry through Jesus's burial.  This increasing darkness symbolizes the approaching darkness of Jesus's death and of hopelessness in the world without God. The service concludes in darkness, sometimes with a final candle, the Christ candle (extinguished or carried out of the sanctuary, symbolizing the death of Jesus). A loud noise may also sound symbolizing the closing of Jesus' tomb. The worshipers then leave in silence to ponder the impact of Christ's death and await the coming Resurrection.

Tenebrae services generally should begin in a dimly-lit sanctuary with five lit candles at the front, along with a sixth candle, the Christ candle.  Each candle is extinguished as directed by the worship leader(s) during the service, with the Christ candle being extinguished near the end of the final piece of the work.  Some churches desire the Christ candle not be extinguished, but taken from the sanctuary in front of a silent procession with the choir as they exit.  Regardless of the approach you choose in extinguishing the Christ candle, the congregation should depart in silence.  (This direction should be given in the program, so anyone in attendance who is not aware of this tradition of a Tenebrae service can be fully informed).

During a prelude, you may choose to have the choir process, with chosen laypersons or choir members leading the procession carrying the six lit candles.  Those candles are then placed in holders in front of the sanctuary.

The narration may be read by one reader or several readers.  If you choose to have more than one reader, the readings can be divided among lines and paragraphs as desired.

A new Tenebrae service published by Jubilate Music Group for 2019 (It is Finished by Mary McDonald) offers optional PowerPoint images for projection during the service, which correspond with the mood of each piece being sung.  This additional service tool is offered as means to enhance the overall impact of the work and the events depicted during Holy Week.  The PowerPoint images change with the beginning of each anthem sung during the 30-minute presentation.

Another service option for a Tenebrae is to serve communion during the work if so desired.  This option further enhances and deepens the overall experience of the service, while engaging the congregants in the act of communion as did Jesus with his disciples during Holy Week. 

In whatever manner you may choose to use a Tenebrae service, you’ll find this ancient service still speaks beautifully to today’s worshipers (especially when utilizing one of the newest or more recent published services which help guide and provide a compelling experience for all participants).