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The two-day Praise Fest 2008 and Saturday Nite at the Park featuring gospel music favorite female, CeCe Winans was truly unforgettable. The workshop and concert is one of many that Hamilton Park United Methodist Church puts together throughout the year to help enhance the performance of musicians, dancers and singers. The workshop consisted of three sections: Liturgical/Dance Ministry taught by Lady Michelle Nurse, Instrumentalist/Band taught by Minister Jamaar Jones (Minister of Music at the Potter’s House) and Singers taught by Dr. Karen D. Taylor (Pastor of Sabbath Days Journey). Whether you were a singer, dancer or musician, at the end of the day it was all about worship.
Music filled the room while a group of dancers stretched their arms, kicked their feet and spun around in unison during the liturgical/dance ministry session. Lady Michelle expressed the importance of letting the music minister to the soul.
“I am going to talk to you about worship, I am not going to teach, you technique,” she shouted. “Walk with liberty, there are no boundaries, just enjoy Him,” she continued.
Down the hall in the Chapel, Minister Jamaar Jones, the Minister of Music at the Potter’s House discussed the effectiveness of repetition during the instrumentalist/band session for musicians. His method of worship was expressed through the idea of practicing and studying.
“It is all about repetition, the more you practice the better you get,” said Minister Jones. “Also, it is important to develop good habits because many people develop bad habits over the years and that inhibits their ability to learn.”
He also went on to say that he reads the same chapter in the Bible everyday and everyday he gets something else out of it. This symbolized the habits of musicians. No matter how many times they play a song, it can always have a different twist and reach people in a different way.
In addition to the sessions, an open-panel discussion was held and hosted by HPUMC’s Minister Oscar Williams, the Director of Music and Arts that included all of the instructors. “Help my praise is sinking” was the over-all topic and those in attendance asked questions that related to the way they praise. One interesting question came from a young lady who experienced difficulty in pursuing singing.
“I put singing on hold for about four years due to my vibrato in my voice,” she said. “I chose to do dancing instead because I could not control my voice because of nervousness.”
The entire panelist eagerly responded.
“A lot of time we perceive others perceiving us and that can stop us from doing many things but in my case I am the Minister of Music at the Potter’s House and I was not called by anyone but God and I cannot sing and it is a tradition for the top man to sing and play an instrument but the Lord called me to play the piano,” said Min. Jones.
Dr. Taylor also commented. “Address the fear because the Bible says, God has not given us the power to fear so if you got something, you need to ask who gave it to you then stop accepting everything and slap return to sender, address unknown,” proclaimed Dr. Taylor. “Worshippers are born of the spirit so why would you think that God would give you something that’s not good,” she continued.
The subject of gifts and desires made an interesting conversation.
“There is a difference between having a desire to do something and having a gift to do something and sometimes we kind of mix the two,” said Min. Williams. “Sometimes our desire is so strong that we feel like it is our gift. We have to ask God what is it that you will have me to do?”
The discussion led to a healthy and helpful talk and so many people left differently then when they came. But it did not end there. The HPUMC Choir showed up and showed out during the concert segment and let’s not forget about the beautiful CeCe Winans that lit up the stage. After her last song she called many who wanted a relationship with God to come to the front of the auditorium. Many poured in one by one, as CeCe chanted, “Is there anybody here, anybody here.”
The night was a complete success. The anticipation for the next event was heavy as hundreds left in true satisfaction of a two-day event filled with true worship.
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