Last month Junior Warden, Holly Weinkauf, shared her experiences of running a small business. One paragraph in particular caught my attention
“My focus at Red Balloon isn’t on money – it’s on the people, my staff, the customers, the books, the experiences, our priorities, our values. At the same time I do have to make sure we are managing our resources in a way that gives us the oxygen to do the things that are important.”
This is very similar to how we balance our finances and our faith at St. John’s. As Holly’s Aunt Nanci advised, “Money certainly isn’t everything, but boy, it’s right up there with oxygen!” We often need money to live into our mission, God’s mission, but it should never eclipse that mission. This month I invited my colleague, Richard Gray, Director of Music at St. John’s to share an example from the last year-and-a-half when he and St. John’s leadership had such an opportunity: to use the funds donated by parishioners and his own ingenuity to sustain musicians and life giving music in our community.
Like I imagine many of you do, I believe to the core that the music and fine arts are a necessity and not a decoration. In many cases, they are the life, breath, and heartbeat of any community, organization, or group. The Twin Cities alone are known for a significant number of choral groups, professional orchestras, chamber music ensembles, sacred music programs, and so much more. Inside any musical event, you will find culture within the history of the pieces being performed or offered. You will find diversity within the music of those who wrote it. You will find history based on experiences the performer shares that they’ve had, teachers they have learned from, and what opportunities they have had for studies. Within a church service, you will see how music relates to the liturgy and readings being offered, or the sermon that has already been advertised. All of this is a necessary form of communication that simply gives us life and gives us breath.
Throughout the pandemic, music and fine arts were greatly impacted. Concerts and large services were cancelled and rehearsal schedules that professional musicians counted on were taken off the books. Musicians who were already in the midst of national and international travel for serious performances, with contracts signed, needed to change plans, without knowing if these jobs, and the corresponding income, had any plans to be rescheduled.
At St. John’s it was important to us and important to me that we kept up everything that we could to continue to financially support our paid musicians; this includes our eight staff singers who supplement and support the volunteer parish choir as well as our children’s and handbell director. Through no fault of their own, our original plans for their musicianship were cancelled. Thinking as fast as possible, we managed to address our needs virtually and continued to provide compensation that our musicians would have received should the pandemic have not happened. Rather than singing with the choir or directing the children’s groups, together we scheduled online lectures, classes, written reflections on performances and pieces of music, and kept everybody musically moving in creative ways.
Financially supporting musicians means not only supporting their time but supporting their training and experience. I am grateful for the ways that this parish showed that support because it benefited so many people. It benefited our volunteer choir members, who learned about subjects including vocal technique, spirituals and gospel music, Gregorian chant, shape-note singing, and Anglican repertoire. It benefited our bell choir, who learned about the practice of bell ringing through resources and discussions, even away from the bell table. It benefited our parish, who continued to sing, hear, and witness such beautiful singing from our cantors each Sunday while we were digital and virtual. We continued to hear our beloved and favorite hymns as well as new ones across different hymnals and musical styles. We heard beautiful solo pieces from the individual musicians’ repertoire witnessing their experiences and histories as trained musicians.
Most importantly, the continued support allowed us to be right where we are now; back in the choir room, at the bell table, in the chancel and ready to begin another in-person year—a year full of services, Choral Evensong offerings, Lessons and Carols, and a grand Holy Week & Easter. The support kept us together and things didn’t stop. Normally, rehearsals and musical preparations by the choir are not done over the summer; however, we have changed that this year and witnessed great eagerness and willingness to go above and beyond in preparing to bring back in-person life and breath through music.
Thank you for your caring and resourceful leadership Richard! And thank you to our parishioners for your continued support during this pandemic. I have heard from many people that they have been sustained in various ways by St. John’s. And it is you, our members, who provide the oxygen to do that.
Understanding and navigating our society’s financial systems as followers of Christ can be challenging. Maybe that is why Jesus talked about money and possessions more than prayer and faith. As with most spiritual practices, we gain strength when we share with and support each other. To write a post, offer resources, submit an article, or do an interview please contact Executive Administrator, Sarah Dull. You never know who needs to hear your story.
