A Letter from Luke, Director of Worship and Music

And just like that, here we are! June has nearly come and gone, Summer has officially started, and it’s already warm out (at least the humidity is low, haha!)

June has been a challenging month for music and worship. At the beginning of the month we got the green flag to begin the reopening process at church under strict guidelines from Governor Newsom, the Butte County Health Officials and the CDC. One of the main challenges that we faced was coming back to worship and not being able to sing or create music in that way. A committee and I met and discussed/brainstormed ways that we could make music that required no congregational or choral singing- a concept that is very counter-intuitive especially to our faith which draws much of its musical traditions from singing! Many of the ideas of the committee included more instrumental music such as drum circles, bells, use of the Orff instruments, instruments that don’t require human made wind to sustain them, and much more.

Another big challenge that we’ve been facing is the continuation of livestreamed services even after it’s safe for all to return to in-person worship. Throughout this difficult time, the online ministry has reached many people who haven’t been able to worship with us due to a number of reasons such as health, distance, and other factors.

Throughout the last several weeks Kim Schweder and I have been working on ProPresenter 7. This is a program that will give us the ability to stream the service live and to hold in-person worship simultaneously. This program also gives us the ability to load in text for bible verses and songs. ProPresenter 7 also allows to store the hymns, songs, and liturgies that we use throughout the year so that we can quickly recall them if need be. We hope to be unveiling this program by the end of June/beginning of July so that we are able to make worship, both in-person and online, a smooth experience.

This is a very exciting time for us all! Despite the unknowns, we’ve got so many opportunities to reach to our community through music, technology and so many other ways. Ways that will draw us closer together and bring about a greater since of community.

Blessings for another month, Luke Nicolay- Director of Worship and Music

To sign up for worship leader roles, contact me at lukenicolay1@gmail.com. I will also be putting an article in the E-blast with descriptions for the team member positions.