Page 11 - Christian Lifestyle Mag -Aug

Joshua and Chuanika Thomas

Music Ministers - Mt. Moriah F.B.H. Church

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord! The sound of our praises are pleasing to God. Although there are numerous ways to
offer praise, music helps us connect to our Heavenly Father. David used music to commune with God and to calm King
Saul who was tormented by evil spirits.
In today’s churches, music is used to usher in the holy sprit. While musicians have various styles, it’s important for them
to facilitate worship through melodic and harmonic chord changes that provide an atmosphere for worship. Although
there’s a place for traditional music, and hymns, slow melodic songs that come from the heart have the power to shift the
environment, thus causing people to open their hearts and minds to receive God.
Question: When you're preparing to usher in the spirit of God before service, do you have a routine before-
hand?

Answer: Well, when I sit down at the keyboard the first thing I do is pray that God would use
me to help usher in his spirit through music. I also pray that someone, through the assis-
tance of music will open up their hearts and minds to be ready and available to receive God.
I'm more of a worshiper than anything else because of my past experiences, so worshiping
God through music has always been a great help to me in my healing. With that being said,
I feel that playing worshipful music and songs will help best to open a person up to receive
God.

Question: How do you decide what music to play, songs to sing?

Answer: I usually listen to Pandora internet radio, and I'd have my favorite gospel stations
programmed that I'd listen to. I would pick songs from there that I feel envoke closeness and
feeling to God. I'd make a list of all the songs I'd hear that were worshipful, and I would either
learn them as I am listening, or learn them once I got to a piano. Sometimes God just uses
me and I don't play songs at all, but just play worshipful chord progressions that i'm lead to
play.

Question: If the service does not appear to be beneficial to the worshipers, how or
what do you do to direct them to God?

Answer: Hmmm, well I feel that everyone conducting praise and worship plays an important
part in the service. I think if everyone who conducts praise and worship, prays and taps into
God, then the spirit will come through. Another way I help is by playing up tempo songs that
get the congregation involved. I feel that it is sometimes beneficial to involve the congrega-
tion in songs that they'd know to help usher in the spirit of God (sometimes people just want
to feel like they are a part of the service). So it would be beneficial to have a list of common
songs that everyone knows.

Question: How are you lead? By the Minister, the voice of God, or both?

Answer: As a musician, our job is to follow the minister and or worship leader. We as musicians are only here to
inhance the service. I'm lead by the spirit in what music I play, and what is does to help usher in the presence of God. I
believe every musician should know this, because it's not about the musician, but should be about God (meaning don't
get the big head musicians) we should be humble.

Question: What would you tell a new worship leader/musician their most important role?

Answer: Well this one is easy! Every musician or worship leader needs to understand that we are here only to enhance
and help usher in the presence of God. We do this by helping the congregation open up their hearts and minds to re-
ceive God, through the assistance of music. By doing this, we make the Minister's job easier to feed the word of God to
the congregation to which who are readily open to receive.

11