Becky Lombard, Conference President

I hope your new year is off to a great start! Let me encourage you to plan now to include our June conference in your early plans for ministry reinforcement and encouragement. Many have already taken advantage of our early registration discounts. It’s not too late!!

You’ll not want to miss the diverse opportunities of our conference this year. Knowing that a conference of Baptist Church Musicians is a gathering of widely different ministry types, the Executive Council has tried to put together a program that will speak to each of these. We will have Rick Muchow to lead us in the contemporary idioms, while the Atlanta Sacred Chorale will share more a more traditional experience. Milburn Price will reflect on his many years as a conductor and share his favorite anthems through the years. Roger Breland will do a master class with praise team. We will do many styles, but always upholding our commitment to "a tradition of excellence in Church Music."

Pine Lake Music will host us in a day of reading sessions on Saturday, June 4. Plan now to register for that event which will feature music of many major publishers. This will be a great day to choose and purchase music for the coming year.

Our host church is Johnson Ferry in Marietta, Georgia. Mark Cottingham and his music staff have a wonderful music ministry in their community. You will learn much from them as you experience music in their facility and among them.

More details of our Atlanta conference appear later in this newsletter. Unique and exciting experiences will be presented by an amazing list of artists. The theme of our conference will be "How Can I Keep from Singing." This should ultimately be the testimony and heart cry of all who minister through music!

Come and join us in Atlanta!!!

R. G. Huff, Newsletter Editor

When Becky first came up with this year’s theme, "How Can I Keep from Singing", she sent it to me with no final punctuation. So I immediately went into my editorial mode and put a question mark. She thought it was a statement… an exclamation; I was sure it was a question, and we should promote it that way! As we looked at various hymnals that include the hymn, we found that their editors don’t agree on this either! Since both Becky and I are always right (?!), we agreed it is both!

So our best punctuation is one that no longer exists. In the 1970’s, the Remington typewriter people invented the "interrobang," a combination of a question mark (interro) and an exclamation point (called a "bang" among real editorial types). It never caught on, so it went the way of all useless creativity!

For this year’s conference, it might be worth a resurrection of the long-dead interrobang because what Becky has planned calls us to ask the question, "Since God is Lord of heaven and earth, how CAN I keep from singing?"… then to make the grand exclamation, "Since God IS Lord of heaven and earth, how can I KEEP from singing!"

The variety of the planned program will leave many with questions (and some answers!) and should send us all home in a spirit of exclamation. Won’t you join us in Atlanta to do both?!

Newsletter articles, information and comments should be mailed to

Atlanta Marriot Northwest is the 2005 Conference Hotel

Conference Rate: $89

Call 1-800/228-9290

Make Your Reservations NOW!

To Get This Special Rate, Be Sure You Tell Them

You Are Attending the SBCMC!

 

June 4, 2005: A DAY OF READING SESSIONS with PINELAKE MUSIC
FOR INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT PINE LAKE MUSIC
at 1.800.241.3667

June 5-7, 2005

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2005

6:00 p    Buses Depart from Hotel (Tonight’s Sessions at Mount Vernon Baptist Church)

6:40 p    Rodrigo Rodriguez, Guitarist, Miami, FL

7:45 p    Chris and Diane Machen, Vocal Artists, Plano, TX

8:45 p    Reception

             Buses Return to Hotel

MONDAY, June 6, 2005

All Remaining Sessions at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church

9:25 a    The Master’s Singers, (TX) - Lloyd Hawthorne, Director

10:10 a   Exhibit Break

11:00 a   Chuck Sullivan

11:30 a   Tom Hazelton, Organ

12:00 p.  Lunch (Included in Registration Fee)

1:10 p     New Vision, Charleston Southern University, Jim Duvall, Director

1:40 p     Medallion Ringers, Christine Anderson, Director

2:10 p     Reading Session

2:40 p     Exhibit Break

3:20 p     Breakout Sessions:

Missions Resource Person

Pamela Vanderwalker, Children

4:25 p     Breakout Sessions Repeated

Monday, June 6 (continued)

5:30 p    Dinner (Included in Registration Fee) Entertainment: Tom Hazelton, Silent Movies

6:45 p    Johnson Ferry Baptist Church Music Ministry; Mark Cottingham, Host Minister of Music

7:45 p    Atlanta Sacred Chorale, Eric Nelson, Director

Tuesday, June 7, 2005

8:30 a    Worship

9:30 a    Missionary Moment

9:40 a    Business Meeting

10:00 a  Exhibit Break

10:40 a  Voices of Mobile, University of Mobile - Roger Breland, Director

11:25 a  Seminarians, New Orleans Baptist Seminary - Ken Gabrielse, director

12:05 p  Lunch (Included in Registration Fee) - Divisional Meetings

2:25 p   Jazz Vespers, Rouxte 66 - Gary Hallquist, director

2:55 p   Exhibit Break

3:45 p   Reading Session

5:30 p   Presentation of the W. Hines Sims Award

5:45 p   Banquet (Included in Registration Fee)

6:45 p   Larry Dalton, Nashville, TN

7:45 p   Sons of Jubal and Jubalheirs (GA) - Jon Duncan, Director

You can register for our conference on line using Pay-Pal.

ALL CONFERENCE FEES INCLUDE FOUR MEALS AT THE CHURCH AND TRANSPORTATION TO OFF-SITE EVENTS.
 

Our Sympathy to Bill Anderson (retired editor of The Church Musician) on the death of his wife Jean.