I hope you were in worship last Sunday—I call it “Bell Sunday,” and it is one of my favorite days of the year. If you missed it, we had 3 rows of bells—one in the choir loft, one on the platform, and one across the floor—each one spanning the width of the platform. That layout allowed us to have the Tribe, Youth, and Adult Handbell Choirs each ring, then all ring together. It was glorious—the momentous result of years of musical training and practice. At South Main, this begins with two year olds in Music with Me. It progresses into children’s choirs and hand chimes, and hand chimes gives way to handbells.
This is all to say that South Main offers a comprehensive music education program to children and adults of all ages. We believe there are benefits in every facet of life that flow from learning to sing or to play a musical instrument. It’s a beautiful and meaningful way to express our worship and adoration to a creative God. When we sing in unison, we emulate—we act out in a sense—the unity of the body of Christ. We sing as one. When we harmonize, when we sing or play in parts, we reflect the diversity of gifts God has assembled in our congregation.
Music is an irreplaceable gift in life and vital part of the church. And, music education of the quality South Main delivers is not free. Each year we tune and maintain instruments, purchase music, and pay for personnel to plan, then to carry out all that our Music Ministry does on Sunday mornings, at our special services throughout the year, and in the memorial services we host. Every time you give to the budget, you are helping make all of those things not just happen but happen with the excellence we require of ourselves as we offer God our very best in all of these settings.
In this way, every gift to the budget represents a foundational part of the very worship we give to God.
We have until December 31 to fully fund our 2023 budget. If we are to do that, then between now and the time you read this email we need to give $1,534,607. The good news is we have the money. But God has distributed it among us all in uneven amounts. So in order to give the budget—to fulfill our obligations—I’m asking you to consider the worship which you are a part of at South Main and to give sacrificially in its support. Some will give amounts that might make a banker blush. Others will give less by the world’s standard, but we give to honor God, not to impress the world. I know if we each give what we can, we’ll reach the goal we agreed upon at the beginning of 2023. And in doing so we’ll set South Main up to start 2024 on the strongest possible footing.
Please join Missy and me in giving sacrificially this month to make sure we give in accordance with what God has entrusted to us.
