I'm Excited!!! Hope you are too!

I'm excited about Stan Endicott coming to our fall advance next Friday and Saturday. You may not share the same feelings because his name doesn't ring a bell. But......I've seen him lead music sessions and he's a great guy--a real mover and shaker. There won't be any boring lectures from Stan. He's a high energy guy who gets amazing results quickly. Plan on coming Friday night at 6:30 and again on Saturday morning at 8:30. Both sessions will include food, fellowship and exciting ideas and techniques. I can't wait! The orchestra will get the great privilege of working with Bruce Pearson on Saturday for in-depth instrumental rehearsal. Isn't it GREAT to have Bruce around? We need to thank his family in MN for sharing him with us--I know it's a sacrifice for them!

Want to go to a concert??

Paul and Linda Stromberg, serving as our recreation Kormos leaders, would like to invite everyone to the David Phelps concert this Saturday, September 23rd. The concert will be at North Hills Church, 15025 N. 19th Av., Phoenix. Tickets may be purchased at ticketforce.com for $15/$25. David Phelps is a former member of the "Gaither Vocal Band" and is now a solo artist with a real set of pipes. If you're looking for something to do it should be a great concert.

Brass Section Movin' and Shakin'

Is it my imagination or did the brass section ROCK last night??! It appears as if the group has been playing musical chairs in the off season...Greg Crow has moved from trumpet to trombone. Brad Tritle and Keith Faloni will join him to round out the 'bones. The trumpet section, already replete with talented chops (Donna, Jayson, Bill, Mark, Jud and Paul) is going to welcome another strong player in the next week or two. It's raining brass players! And string players! Keep your eyes out for percussionsists to take a bit of the load off of our talented SCA student, Jonathon.

I can just feel a new level of excitment and energy as we head into the fall season. The best is yet to come--and our hearts and minds are open to it!

See you on Sunday,
Beth Benson-Swain

Welcome Audrey Kurtz

Welcome our newest alto, Audrey Kurtz These new members just keep coming and coming. And have you noticed they're getting younger all the time? Our newest alto in the choir is 2 weeks old now. She and her mother Sachi will no doubt sing a duet soon.

Orchestra Welcomes New Faces!

Sixteen string players! Can you believe it? SBC's Worship Orchestra has never had so many and it's a pleasure to welcome 4 new violinists--Kathryn and Alex in the 2nd violin section; Chung and Darcy as first violins. Anyone know a cellist or two to join our ranks? How about a string bassist?

Bruce Pearson, our new conductor, spent the past few days brunching and lunching with members of the orchestra. The violins met him at the Claim Jumper on Friday afternoon and talked, laughed, at and shared for 3 hours(Rumor has it that only a 3:00 pm trumpet sectional tore Bruce away!)

I bet you didn't know that Bruce went to St. Cloud State University in Minnesota on a hockey scholarship--or that his first instrument was clarinet. He lives in Fountain Hills and confesses that he is still learning the names of the native plants and bushes in his yard and how to maintain them! You can read more about Bruce in the coming weeks. In the meantime, welcome aboard Bruce, and thank you for your expertise and your servant's heart.

I thought we'd bring back our Spotlight feature, which will shine the light on a member of the orchestra each week. We started this during the worship center construction and learned some neat things about the folks who sit next to us. Watch for that in the coming weeks as well.
-Beth Benson-Swain

Greek 101

Still haven't really said what "kormos" actually means, have we? There have been various clues along the way. You probably know it's Greek for ____________. Take a clue from Romans 12:4:

For just as we have many members in one body and all members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

The purpose of developing the kormos teams is to support the members of our body. Teams include:

• affiliation (photos)
• intercession (prayer)
• ministration (outreach)
• organization (office work)
• recreation (gatherings)
• provision (hospitality)
• composition (news articles)
• transformation (decorating)

Please take time to consider where you may use your gifts this year. You don't need to be an expert in any of these areas--just a willing worker! Get out of the boat and sign your name on one of the teams. It will be rewarding!

Soldier or Journalist???

At the August Town Hall Meeting, Joe issued a challenge from an unlikely source-The Last Samurai. This ain't your mama's Bible here but the lesson is still a good one. Who would have thunk it? Are you an "in the trenches" soldier ready to do the work of the Lord? Or are you a photojournalist--watching what's going on and “reporting” to your friends what you see, providing running commentary on how things might be done better or differently. No matter which one you are the reality is we are all members of a battalion, a division of the larger army fighting the same war against the powers of darkness. “Therefore, put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11)

The important question is, “How do you see yourself?” When you get up in the morning, do you tuck your press card in the brim of your hat, or do you take up the sword of the spirit and the shield of faith? We are challenged to consider how we can take on the role of a passionately involved soldier, not concerned about self-preservation or the perception of others, but ultimately with the self-sacrificial goal of winning the battle through worship, prayer, study, and service. Watch for a full-length article on this topic in the October Compass.

What Not To Wear

Does anyone watch this show on TLC? It's a great show--strictly my opinion, of course! Although we aren't Stacy and Clinton, there are some general guidelines which apply to our platform dress each week. Here they are:

SBC's version of "What Not To Wear":

• t-shirts
• jeans
• spaghetti straps (I know you're dying to wear yours Dick Schott!)
• halter tops
• skirts above the knee
• flip-flops
• extra tight clothing
• large patterns--flowers, stripes, etc.

We're not trying for the Pharisee thing here. We are simply aiming to be an enhancement to worship--not a distraction. For Sunday, September 17, we'll shoot for collared golf shirts for the men and general solid-colored clothing for everyone. Hope to see you there!

New Member Abeer Cordova

New soprano Abeer Cordova with husband Barry
We welcome a new member to the choir who also happens to be one of our missionaries. What a coincidence! Abeer and her husband Barry are on furlough at SBC this fall. They are taking classes at Phoenix Seminary as well as doing some internship work in various ministries. Abeer will be helping out in the music office attending meetings and gleaning what she can about worship. She grew up in Damascus and is a worship leader for her church in Jordan. Hopefully you will get to say "hi" to her sometime soon. Let's make her feel welcome!

Phone Calling Brigade Visits SBC

Has your phone been ringing? Of course it has! But I'm not talking about just any old call. Did you receive a personal call from someone in the worship & arts ministry inviting you to join us for the fall kick-off? One of our summer brainstorming sessions led to the idea of making calls to all names on the current and former music ministry database. Any guesses as to how many names are on this list? This will blow you away--800!! We were able to whittle the list down to 400 viable members. Thanks to Jacque Surrett for taking on the task of dividing up the list and distributing names to the eager calling brigade. If you see one of these people make sure to thank them for taking the time to give a personal touch to our ministry.

• Bob and Judy Rodenbach
• Marsha Bush
• Dave VanVleet
• Jim and Kelli Taggart
• Ellie Hanchett
• Annette Johnson
• Lynn Medley- Brown
• Ann Sandford
• Jacque Surrett
• Colin Austin
• Gary Albin
• Joel Maupin
• Kelly Crum
• Joyce Page
• Leah Powell
• Tammy Reimche
• Joe Bubar

Orchestra Ready to Make Beautiful Music Together

What a fabulous first night for the SBC Worship Orchestra! We're back in full force and last night welcomed 3 new violinists, 1 keyboardist, 1 tuba player (and she's a female!) and one saxophonist to the family. Thank you to all of you who encouraged and cajoled these musicians into joining us.

A special welcome to our fabulous guest conductor, Bruce Pearson. We'll do a full fledged interview and article on Bruce in the very near future, but for now here are a few highlights about this talented man:
* he is an internationally known author, composer, clinician and conductor
* he is best known for his authorship of 2 of the most influential publications for beginning band and jazz band instruction
* he has taught at all educational levels for more than 30 years

Bruce will be in town next week for 4 days and is eager to get to know his fellow musicians, so if you did not sign up for a meal with him next week, please contact Ann Sandford to find out when he is free. Rumor has it that the entire violin section is meeting him for lunch at The Claim Jumper next Friday. And that group has been known to have a few opinions! Whatever your passion for worship, Bruce would love to hear about it.

Enjoy another Sunday morning worshipping from the pews and get ready for our debut on Sunday, September 17th!
- Beth Benson-Swain

Kormos, Schmormos, what's it all about?

Well, you might say, that's Greek to me. And I say, "Now you're on to something." The suspense continues as no real explanation has been divulged as to the meaning of this word. Why don't you and Mr. Google do a search and find out the big secret? You'll be way ahead of the people who haven't looked at this blog (pioneers that you are). BTY, don't forget to sign up on the big kormos charts in the next few weeks. They will reside in the robe area for now. Hope to see a bunch of names on each one.

Spotlight on New Members

One thing we'd like to do in this blog is provide news and info about new members. Being in a large church it can be difficult to get to know people. I'm too embarassed to ask someone their name after I've said "hi" to them for the past 8 years. We'll offer general items such as name and occupation but we're also after the little-known tidbits that make life interesting.

In light of this, keep your eyes open for this new member--Benjamin Bubar. His current occupation is listed as "slumber specialist." He's relatively new to the music ministry but has been an avid music listener for the past nine months. Isn't it great when people stand on the sidelines for awhile and then decide to join us? We haven't had time for a placement audition yet but we're assigning him to the tenor section. Guys, make him feel welcome! Click here to visit Benjamin's mom's website.

It's a Strawberry Flavored Retreat!

Next time you see a band member, ask them about the "cool" retreat we had at the Strawberry Retreat Center on August 18-19. Not only do you get cool temperatures but you also get cool music and hot food. The equipment was all lugged up the mountain for some jam sessions in preparation for the fall. Playing, devotions, and food plus some families made for a fun outing. If you haven't been to Strawberry you should try it. It's got to be one of God's great creations.