Sound Connections Unity’s New Thought Music Resource Issue #87 December 2012 Produced by Music Ministry Team and the Sacred Music Resources Department. Richard Mekdeci, Editor Sue Riley, Team Chair Blair Tabor, David Ezell, Carole Tomhave, Melinda Wood-Allen, Todd Lowry, Sheryl Meyers, Megon McDonough This Month’s Highlights─page 2 Another year of amazing service from your Music Ministry Team 2012 Sound Connections Music Conference at Unity Village─page 3 Announcing next year’s keynotes. Make plans now to attend. Feature Article─page 4 Christmas Carols and New Thought Theology: Have we finally found our “Sacred Cow?” From the Road – Traveling Artist Review─page 6 Kathy Zavada – Music and Ministry CD Review─page 7 Chants to Awaken by Kathy Zavada The Mailbox – Your Questions and Comments─page 8 Resources for your theater ministry / Music licensing in your church New Releases, Resources & Events─page 10 See what’s new and what’s coming up New Thought’s First Online Choral Library!─page 12 Find your holiday music here! Job Openings for Music Directors─page 13 New! Unity Church of Bay Area, League, TX.; Unity of Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Unity of Davis, Calif.; Unity Center for Creative Living, St. Johns, Fla. This Month’s Free Sheet Music Offering─page 14 “May You Know God” ─a beautiful, prayerful blessing song for the holiday New Thought’s First Music Director Listing: Online Only Currently over 180 music directors in 41 states and Canada. Help us make this a complete listing for all of New Thought. Update/add your name to this valuable resource. www.unity.org/music [email protected] 1 ThThhiis Month’s Highlights Greetings Sound Connections Family! Well, by the time you are reading this, you’ve probably already begun hearing those old familiar Christmas tunes playing on the radio. Christmas tree stands have already popped up and Black Friday has reminded us to start thinking about what we’re going to get old Uncle Waldo this year. As church leaders though, we have the additional blessing and honor to be immersed in the spiritual side of the holidays as well as the commercial. And as New Thought church leaders, we have yet another blessing and honor of interpreting the Christmas story and message in a way that is practical and powerful for our lives today. In our feature article this month (page 4), we talk about our beloved Christmas Carols and whether we use them as is, altered, or not at all. At the end of the article are links to two new and very useful documents: 1) Complete index of music available from UWM. We now have a complete list, by song, of every piece of music we offer in print. It is listed by song alphabetically and includes the author and the UWM Songbook it appears in, including the new Online Choral Library. 2) Eleven Christmas carols and suggested alternate lyrics. These are based on the lyrics from the Wings of Song hymnal and adapted to more closely coincide with Unity and New Thought teachings around Jesus and Christmas. It’s our pleasure to introduce you to a wonderful songwriter, singer and healing presence, Kathy Zavada, in our From the Road ─Traveling Artist Review (page 6). We also review Kathy’s new chant CD Chants to Awaken (page 7). We answer your questions about starting a theater ministry in your church and untangle some music licensing questions for you as well, in this month’s Mailbox (page 8). This being the final Sound Connections of 2012, I want to thank the members of your tireless, amazing Music Ministry Team who assist me with the production of this valuable resource and who also plan and execute New Thought’s premier Music Conference each year at Unity Village. It’s a true gift and inspiration to work and play with such dedicated servants of Unity. Sue Riley’s leadership as chairperson continues to lead us to ground- breaking achievements in an arena where few have gone before. And finally, it’s been my pleasure to continue to serve you in 2012 as Sacred Music Resource Coordinator here at UWM. Your love and support of me and of this position has inspired me throughout the year to continue building a solid foundation of resources and education for our music ministries. May the Christ be born and re-born in you each day this holiday season and always. Richard Mekdeci LUT Sacred Music Resources Coordinator Unity Worldwide Ministries www.unity.org/music [email protected] 2 SoSoouund Connections Music Conference Ongoing Updates SSCC--99 SSeepptteemmbbeerr 1166––2200,, 22001133 AAtt UUnniittyy VViillllaaggee Announcing next year’s keynotes! Rev. Michael Gott An amazing voice and an amazing minister. Formerly Music Director at Center for Spiritual Living in Reno, Nev., Michael now serves with Howard Caesar as Associate Minister of Unity in Houston, Tex. Michael’s music and message will inspire and uplift you. 2013’s Grace Note Award Recipient – Daniel Nahmod Daniel has taken the New Thought message to literally millions of people around the world through his music. It crosses all religious, social and cultural boundaries, and is sung in practically every Unity and New Thought church and center in the world. Daniel is also known for leading inspiring retreats and workshops. Richard, I want to thank you for the perfect introduction to Unity Village and all the New Thought music. I had a mountaintop experience at Sound Connections that I certainly was not expecting! I had two intentions while there: to bring back new music for my congregation and music for my choir to share their love! I found both! So, I think of you and all the facilitators every day and I don't want to lose the great light that shone through that week. … Thanks and have an incredible year, I hope to see you next year! David Craig Plan now to attend New Thought’s Premier Music Conference by including it in next year’s music budget. Be sure to become a Facebook “Friend” and rate the page after your visit. www.unity.org/music [email protected] 3 TThishis MMonth’sonth’s FFeatureeature AArticlerticle Christmas Carols and New Thought Theology: Have We Finally Found Our Sacred Cow? By Richard Mekdeci Ahh, Christmas time. Whatever feelings, memories and emotions this holiday evokes, you can be sure that they are indelibly tied to the music of the season. You can’t avoid it really. Unless you turn off your radio and television, stay home, shop online, and don’t go to church, you’re most likely going to hear Jingle Bell Rock or Silent Night several times between now and Christmas Day. It is truly impossible to separate the music from the season. The music of this holiday season is basically divided into two categories: the “sacred” and the “secular.” The secular are the fun, more universal, non-religious songs like “White Christmas,” “Jingle Bells,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” etc. The sacred carols are of course the noels, the hymns that are about the religion of Christmas, the birth of the Savior, the nativity story, God’s reconciliation with man. These are songs like “Silent Night,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Joy to the World,” “O Holy Night,” etc. You know the ones. You may sing them every year in your church and notice that there are some terms and language you have not heard all year until now. You’ll sing of Jesus as King of Israel, God’s only Son, the Savior of the world, the Christ child. God is the Father, Jesus is Lord ─all terminology that generally does not find its way into your average Unity or New Thought sermons and music throughout the year. As a result, this strange convergence takes place. There is that twinge of singing words you really don’t believe are true, overlaid onto the comfort and joy of singing the familiar songs we have grown up with. Where do we draw the line? Or do we? We have basically three choices: 1) Bite the bullet and sing the songs as-is, “comfort and joy” trumping accurate messaging. 2) Change the words to beloved songs to better match what we believe, evoking rolling eyes and cries of “blasphemy” from some congregants. 3) Find new and different songs to sing all together from our growing New Thought library. Surprisingly, I’ve found after questioning several Unity ministers and ministerial students that #1 was the most preferable. #3 came in second with #2 actually being the least desirable. www.unity.org/music [email protected] 4 Could it be that Unity has finally found its Sacred Cow? Is it our responsibility to sing and speak words that accurately reflect our evolving view of God and Jesus? Or, can we see the whole Christmas story as myth and these songs as the “folk songs” that preserve these stories for us? The songs don’t have to reflect our current theology if we preface them with the understanding that they are a representation of the roots from which our current theology stems. Fortunately, whatever choice you make, we have you covered. If you are a traditionalist (#1), our Wings of Song hymnal has a great selection of traditional carols. Some have been softened and verses added or altered slightly to reflect our theology of the time (70s/80s). For you who want to throw out the baby and the bathwater (#3), we now have over 300 songs in our New Thought library that includes 11 songbooks and a new Online Choral Library where you can find songs especially for this season (Special Services and Chants, Volumes 1 and 2).