Last autumn members of our congregations – here in Malaga and at our satellite congregation in Salinas – responded to an attitude survey prepared for us by US consultancy, HolyCow Consulting. The survey focussed on satisfaction with different aspects of the Chaplaincy’s life and the areas in which we would like to put more energy in the future.
The results were pretty clear. The 5 areas in which people wanted more focus were:
- Preparing People for Ministry
- Christian Education
- Worship and Music
- Mission focussed on families & children
- Communications
The clarity and consistency of the findings help us to identify next steps. But taking those steps and delivering on people’s ambitions for the church requires resource.
And that was where the Diocese has stepped in. The Diocese has agreed a Mission Opportunities Fund project to establish a Children’s Choir at St George’s. The project will have 3 key objectives, which align with much of the findings of the attitude survey above, namely:
- To appoint a Director of Music and establish a children’s choir to uplift and enhance our worship
- To introduce a new generation of families to St George’s church and help young people find and grow in their Christian faith
- To set up a Sunday School for young people coming to church and an After-School facility, and include, within the current restoration of our church building, provision for appropriate meeting and storage facilities
Fr Louis was delighted with the Diocese’s support: “Good music lifts the heart, cheers the soul and helps us to worship God with all our of senses. It brings people together, sharpens discipline and skill, and creates community. Over the past few years we have welcomed a number of local choirs to enhance our worship and enrich our programme of concerts. We have established positive working relationships with a number of local musicians including our own very committed team of organists. Now we have the opportunity to take this further.
“One of the gifts of the Anglican tradition is the glory of its music. This is why the appointment of a Director of Music with the brief to develop a comprehensive ministry of music will serve St George’s well. It is a direct result of the congregational survey we conducted last October. A project steering group will be formed to oversee the appointment process to ensure a responsible use of the funds given to us by the Diocese. Now we need to pray, for wisdom and all things necessary to bring this project to fruition and especially for the appointment of the right person”, he said.
The project, which lasts for three years, will begin this August, and it is hoped the choir will be in place in time to contribute in some small way to our Christmas celebrations. We also aim to test out the possibility of starting an adult choir to complement the children’s choir.
Do you know someone who would like to put their name down for the choir? Contact Fr Louis by email or WhatsApp.