Published Dec 02, 2019
EL CAJON — Musicians enjoyed worship and a concert from middle-school students during the annual Fellowship of Church Musicians meeting Oct. 21-22.
Held at Meridian Southern Baptist Church in El Cajon prior to the California Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, the gathering featured the worship team from the host church as well as the Resound middle-school choir from Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon.
Also presenting music was Lou Mehle, worship arts pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Ventura, who encouraged the group to ask God, “What do You want me to do for You?”
“Sometimes you just have to have faith” in what God’s voice sounds like, Mehle said, whether dissonance or harmony.
“God wants to bestow His blessing on you!”
Receiving the Fellowship’s annual awards for 2019 were Laura Craig, music director at Stonebrooke Church in Vista, and Walt Crabtree, a retired worship leader.
Craig, who also served as worship leader for the Convention annual meeting, received the Joe Daniel Excellence in Church Music Award for her ministry in music since 1983. She is a graduate of California Baptist University and has a teaching credential from the University of California at San Diego.
Before retiring recently for a third time, Crabtree served more than 45 years in a variety of ministries throughout the state, including worship leader at several churches and with the California Singing Churchmen. He also is a graduate of CBU.
Grant Norsworthy, Grammy Award-nominated and Dove Award-winning musician and founder of More Than Music Mentor, led the Fellowship in worship and told the group, “The higher joy as church musicians is connection — horizontally and vertically — with each other and with God.”
For more information about music ministry in California, contact Roger Byrd, CSBC worship and prayer specialist, at rbyrd@csbc.com or 559-256-0857.