FEBRUARY 2024
CENTENARY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
On the Common Ground Open us, Lord. Guide us to that meeting place, where we can see each other, hear each other, care for each other. Where we can sing together, work together, play together on the common ground. Come, let us meet together on the common ground.
T
he late choral music giant Alice Parker penned these words for her final composition, On the Common Ground, a piece that bears witness to Parker's deeply held belief in the transforming power of communal song. The Chancel Choir will sing Parker's work on February 11, and as that day - Transfiguration Sunday - approaches, it is fitting that we reflect on the ways in which Music & Arts at Centenary is advancing faithfully toward embodiment of Parker's vision and working to fan the flames of restoration for our broken world. Continued on next page.
FEBRUARY 2024
CENTENARY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
First, we celebrate the explosive growth and successful innovation that marked 2023: • Nearly fifteen singers joined the Chancel Choir, and ten additional singers participated in our Festival of Lessons & Carols. • Music & Arts sponsored and hosted three successful and well-attended music series - Lenten Noontime Music Series, Then Sings My Soul Summer Series, Joyous Noel. • Sixty campers attended our second annual Children's Music & Art summer camp, double the attendance of the inaugural camp. • In its first season, a reimagined and dynamic children's music and arts program - Creative Arts Experience (CAE) - engaged nearly 40 children each week, transformed worship, and provided an anchor for Wednesday night Nourish. • Our new community-facing Youth Choir Collective (YCC) shared successful collaborations with Conspirare in October and with the Chancel Choir for Lessons & Carols. • Our handbell program added ringing for adult beginners. • The Art in the Atrium series attracted large crowds and raised significant funds for the Winston-Salem Street School. • Our Community Kindermusik Collaborative (CKC) served over 25 children and their caregivers weekly in partnership with the Childcare Resource Center (CCRC) of Winston-Salem. • We successfully hosted and collaborated with organizations including Conspirare, the Greensboro Symphony Master Chorale, Piedmont Wind Symphony, Winston-Salem State University Singing Rams, Winston-Salem Choral Academy, and the Piedmont Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Even as 2024 has just begun, this growth continues. Our nine o’clock worship service (welcome, Keith Byrd!) is averaging over 100 congregants since its relaunch in midJanuary, we have added a new member to the Chancel Choir, two new children to CAE, two new youth to YCC, and a new adult art Nourish class averaging 12 participants. And, of course, the arrival of five rows of sanctuary chairs this month will dramatically alter our programming potential. As we acknowledge this growth - and as we further seek to expand our embrace and widen our welcome - we direct our gaze back to Alice Parker's vision as a framework for our ministry:
Worship at a Glance February 11 Children in Worship 11:00 AM
February 25 Winston-Salem Choral Academy 11:00 AM
New Year, New Leaders We are thrilled to welcome Keith Byrd & Steve Martin to Music & Arts at Centenary! Ke i t h B y rd , A l t e r n a t i v e Worship Leader, joins the team from Wesley Memorial Church in High Point, where he served as the the Contemporary Worship Leader for over two decades. A performer, composer, arranger, and music director, Keith has performed nationally for esteemed audiences including President George W. Bush. Many will recognize Keith from his years of performing in our area. His passion for worship and spirit of creativity are nonpareil. Under his guidance, the updated nine o’clock worship service has been met with great excitement. Please join us in welcoming Keith to Centenary! Steve Martin, Chairperson of the Music & Arts Comittee, has always sought to weave together the threads of theological reflection and artistic expression. Holding degrees in both studio art and divinity, Steve has served three churches as a senior pastor and two churches as an Intentional Interim Minister, comprising a career spanning over thirty years Having only joined Centenary in 2023, Steve has already made quite the impact on Music & Arts, sharing some of his impressive artwork in our Neighborhood Showcase this winter and leading “Creating Through the Psalms,” a new Nourish art class. We are blessed to have him join our team.
As Music & Arts at Centenary infuses worship with vibrancy and depth, we are drawn deeper into the heart of God who seeks to reconcile us with Godself, with ourselves, and with all of creation; as Music & Arts at Centenary serves as a vehicle for faith- and community- building, we are made increasingly aware of the power of unity, of collective vision, of shared purpose; and as Music & Arts at Centenary continues to develop outward-facing and mission-driven initiatives, the power of music and art to build bridges across deep societal divides is highlighted in increasingly dramatic ways. As musicians and artists, we are not strangers to the common ground revealed and made available to us by our craft. As seekers and inhabitants of that shared space, our work is vital, our mission is critical, our potential is astounding. Together with God, may we move deeper into that which God has called us: for Centenary, for Winston-Salem, for the world. - Jonathan Emmons, Director of Music Ministries
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FEBRUARY 2024
CENTENARY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Join the newest youth choir in the Triad! We welcome singers from all musical backgrounds to participate in this ensemble. There's NO TUITION! This is full of exciting and unique opportunities and collaborations and we need YOU! ELIGIBILITY | Grades 7-12 SCHEDULE | Rehearsals each Thursday from 6:00 - 7:00 PM
*Optional free dinner at 5:30 PM
Join us every Wednesday for Creative Arts Experience!
REGISTER HERE
Ages 2 & 3: Wednesdays from 4:30-5:15 PM or Thursdays from 5:30-6:15 PM Ages 4-5th Grade: 6:00-7:00 PM
To learn more, scan this code:
UNCSA
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & CANTATA SINGERS
UPBEAT! Choir Valentine Concert
Register Now for CMA Camp 2024!
February 25 • 3:00 PM Sanctuary
• July 15-18, 2024
Duruflé Requiem, Op. 9 Gabrieli Antiphonal brass music
• Infants - Rising 5th Graders
February 13 at 5:30 PM Centenary United Methodist Church
• 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
To learn more, scan this code:
$20/adult $15/student
Celebrating its 25th season, WSCA is a tuitionbased graded choral training program offering choirs for girls grades K-12 and for boys grades 3-6.
LENT AT CENTENARY ASH WEDNESDAY WORSHIP
February 14 ● 12:00 PM & 6:15 PM ● Sanctuary Imposition of Ashes
LENTEN NOONTIME MUSIC SERIES Every Tuesday in Lent ● 12:00 - 12:30 PM ● Sanctuary
UNCSA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & CANTATA SINGERS February 25 ● 3:00 PM ● Sanctuary
STATIONS OF THE CROSS EXHIBIT March 25 - 29 ● Times TBA ● Sanctuary
A self-guided journey of paintings tracing the steps of Jesus to the Cross
MAUNDY THURSDAY WORSHIP March 28 ● 7:00 PM ● Sanctuary
Holy Communion and Stripping of Chancel
GOOD FRIDAY TENEBRAE SERVICE March 29 ● 7:00 PM ● Sanctuary
Featuring “Stations of the Cross” illustrations painted by Tennessee men on Death Row and Franz Liszt’s The Fourteen Stations of the Cross
EASTER SUNDAY WORSHIP
March 31 ● 9:00 AM in Memorial Auditorium ● 11:00 AM in the Sanctuary 3
FEBRUARY 2024
CENTENARY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
D EC E M B E R & J A N UA RY I N P H OTO S
Contribute by emailing Virginia Sheffield, vsheffield@centenary-ws.org
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