#163: Caring for the Voice after COVID-19 (with Dr. Lynn Eustis)

It goes without saying that we, as pastoral musicians, have experienced a world of change in our ministries in the last year or so. The things that we never second-guessed, such as congregational singing, the incorporation of hymnals and choirs into our liturgies, became health risks. As we hopefully look towards a re-introduction of the elements that we so cherish in ministry, many of us are re-examining how we execute these elements. Now, we started this conversation 2 weeks ago when we spoke with Kelly Barth from Simply Liturgical Music. But today we shift the focus from technology to the physical, internal instrument so many of us value: the human voice.

As pastoral ministers, many of our cantors and choir members have not sung in over 15 months, at least not at the same level and frequency that they did pre-pandemic. How do we guide their voices with an even stronger sense of pastoral care?

#162: “Dear Joan Chittister”: Letters to Openness in Womanhood (with Jessie Bazan) (REPLAY)

It’s summertime, which means that many of us might be traveling, or just have a little bit of free time on our hands. Here at Ministry Monday we are pulling out a book that made a big impact on us: “Dear Joan Chittister”. “Dear Joan Chittister” is a collection of letters to its namesake, Joan Chittister, a Benedictine sister in Erie, Pennsylvania. Joan Chittister is known for her advocacy on women’s rights, peace, human rights and the renewal of the Church.

We spoke to Jessie Bazan, the editor of “Dear Joan Chittister”, in November of 2019 about the book. It was a short but sweet episode, and we think it’s a perfect interview to replay. And if you haven’t added it to your short stack of summer reading, we highly recommend it!

#161: The Modern Needs of Music Ministry: A Conversation with Simply Liturgical Music

It goes without saying that we, as pastoral musicians, have experienced a world of change in our ministries in the last year or so. The things that we never second-guessed, such as congregational singing, the incorporation of hymnals and choirs into our liturgies, became health risks. As we hopefully look towards a re-introduction of the elements that we so cherish in ministry, many of us are re-examining how we execute these elements. Do we continue to purchase hymnals in our parish, or do we look for something else? Do we embrace the technological use that many of us depended on during the last year?

SHOW NOTES

Bio: Kelly & Carly Barth

We started this venture as a way to self-publish Kelly’s compositions. When our composer friends found out what we were doing, many of them asked us to do the same for their music. What started as “I’ll just create a quick website and put my music out there” has grown to a comprehensive catalogue of beautiful liturgical music created by composers from all over the world.  

The mission that has become Simply Liturgical Music is to reimagine the liturgical music industry through the use of digital technology. By doing so, we are connecting composers to congregations in a way that’s never been done before. 

All of us at SLM continually pray for all who endeavor to richly bless liturgical worship through the gift of music. We ask that you pray for us as well!

Sincerely, 

Kelly James & Carly Barth

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