Sabbath School has a lot of facets to it. We have the mission stories, features, offerings and what takes a major part of the time is the lesson study. A small but very important part of the Sabbath School is the music. How is music incorporated in the Sabbath School? Normally, through the song service…
Category: LITURGY
It is common knowledge among Adventist church-goers that next to the Sabbath afternoon programs, the Sabbath School is one of the least attended service of the whole-day worship experience during Saturdays. There are many reasons to be had when it comes to a dwindling Sabbath School attendance. A lot of churches try to solve this…
The term “offertory” may seem obvious that it comes from the word offering and the act that something is being offered. This terminology often pops up in church liturgy, particularly in the Seventh-day Adventist church, when (mostly monetary) offerings are collected. Tracing its roots though, we would find that the offertory in the worship service…
As an organist I’m always expected to prepare at least three musical selections every Sabbath. These selections are often named in the church bulletin as prelude, an offertory, and a postlude. To some this might be an easy task, but a great deal of thought comes with choosing just what to play. These three genres…
Across the world, a remarkable group of church musicians lead about 25 million people in song at worship every Sabbath. These musicians are called music ministers, music coordinators, organists, pianists, soloists, song leaders, choir directors, instrumental ensemble directors and a variety of other names. Sometimes they have no title and just volunteer their talents and…
Music is often a reflection of what happens in the society. Many a man’s ideals, beliefs and philosophies are mirrored by music through its tune, rhythm, harmony, lyrics and form. When the Protestant Reformation era came about, the kind of music that emerged to reflect it came in the form of hymns, and a participatory…
There are times when I wonder why God chose singing as a main mode of expressing praise to Him. As a musician, I think about these things because it helps me know the importance of this “musical tool” I deal with every day. I mean why not say, “To open our worship we shall all…