The pandemic has caused the church to reexamine the way she serves its communities of believers. Many congregations have felt the pain of reduced attendance, offerings, and gathering times. They have been burdened with trying to figure out the right course to chart in uncertain times. From late September through early October of 2020, I had the pleasure of working with new colleagues to maintain/rebuild the Catholic music program at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point Chapel amid the pandemic. My experience there proved to me that, if she perseveres, the church will make it. While you cannot control what is happening in society, you can control what happens in your soul. The people in the photos below definitely understood this. They rose to the occasion and led their people with intention to recenter them and to prepare the way for the future. They were not discouraged that their community was much smaller than it had been before the pandemic. Christ himself showed that smaller is better when developing a team of ministry leaders to effectively reach people with the gospel. With 12 men, he changed the world. Now, imagine what would happen if the people who have returned became as active as these faithful few from MCAS Cherry Point? What a radical transformation would take place in them, in the group, the chapel program, and the larger church! So imitate them, and do not be constrained by the past. Rather, adapt to the present situation and start connecting with people to meet their needs. Special thanks to Bill Bailey (https://www.linkedin.com/in/drbillbailey/) and Music Ministry International (https://music-ministry.jobsoid.com/).
Catholic Music at MCAS Cherry Point Chapel amid the Pandemic
ZANE GILLESPIE
After six years as Minister of Music at Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church (UMC) in Holly Springs, MS, I was recently called to continue to work to address public engagement in music participation as Director of Music Ministries at First UMC in Water Valley, MS. I am a Composer, Theorist, and member of both The College Music Society as well as The Poe Studies Association (PSA). I am also an active pianist and vocalist, specializing primarily in church music. My paper entitled ““Mesmeric Revelation”: Art as Hypnosis” has been published by the international, peer-reviewed journal Humanities. In addition, another paper of mine entitled “A Model of Triadic Post-Tonality for a Neoconservative Postmodern String Quartet by Sky Macklay” has been submitted to the peer-reviewed Music Theory journal Perspectives of New Music. At the end of February 2015, I served as Chair for the session entitled “Aesthetics and Philosophy” at The Fourth International PSA Conference in New York City. On June 21, 2014, my Quartet for Alto Saxophone and Strings, a commission from concert saxophonist Walter Hoehn, was performed as part of Concert V of the Eighth Annual Belvedere Chamber Music Festival held at Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Memphis, TN. Characteristically neo-romantic (in the original sense of the word), my music earned me the Nancy Van de Vate Award for Composition three times from the University of Mississippi Department of Music. A native of Pontotoc, MS, I hold degrees from the University of Mississippi (BM; MM), and the University of Memphis (DMA) where I was the 2011 recipient of the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music's Smit Composition Award. I live in Memphis, TN.