Do Unto Others

Are you excited for the new semester?  Even though my kids already started their school last Monday, I am so excited to jump into September.  As I shared with you last week, all music ministry groups will start this week and next.  Please visit our website to see their schedules. And particularly if you have kids in kindergarten through 6^th grade, please come and join us at the Open House on September 12 from 6-7:00 PM in the music room.

There will be a new student vocal ensemble called “Viva Voce” (living voice or the word of mouth) for students from 7 through 12^th grade. There will be a simple audition for members. They will sing new and various music in different  languages. If your students would like to try this new vocal ensemble, please bring them on September 9  at 4:00 PM to the music room.  One of reasons I decided to start this new ensemble is to give students an opportunity to explore and experience God’s calling through music.

 I started having my own voice lessons at the age of 13. Right after I joined the middle school choir at my home church, I started having confidence in my calling to be a singer. So, I asked my parents for voice lessons.  My church was an hour away by bus, but after I joined the choir, I went to the rehearsals on Saturday afternoon by myself, and woke up early on Sundays for the rehearsal before the 10:00 AM service. Believe or not, I hardly missed these rehearsals whether rain or snow. I still clearly remember those days and how important it was for my faith and calling. If we don’t try new things, we might miss an opportunity to find out our callings. I believe that it is very important especially for our children who will find out, cultivate, and grow in their callings.  I am truly looking forward to sharing my gifts with them!  

I picked a beautiful children’s song for the offertory this Sunday related to our new sermon series, “Stung by the Tongue.” The song is called “Do Unto Others” -- the golden rule! A few children from our children’s choirs will lift it up on Sunday morning at the 11:00 AM service. Also, there will be a special music during communion at the 11:00 AM service. The student ensemble will share a song “God is calling us” incorporated with a song “Kum ba yah”.

Both songs have meaningful reminders to us as Christians. I pray that our worship and praise may grow deeper and more powerful as we become restored to enter  a coming season.

Do Unto Others

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Be kind to others, be good to others, be fair to others as you would have them do unto you.

Try to be patient, and forgiving, a friend in all you say and do. God will guide you to love others as God has shown love to you.

God Is Calling Us

If the song’s to be sung, we must sing it! If the love’s to be shared, we must bring it! For God is calling us now, in deed, to go where there is need! If the Word’s to be heard, we must speak it! If you the peace is to come, we must seek it! For God is calling us now, indeed, to go where there is need!

Someone’s crying Lord, Kum ba yah! Someone’s dying, Lord, Kum ba yah! Someone’s praying, Lord, kum ba yah! O Lord, kum ba yah!  

Is it Your Best Effort?

I recently watched a DVD of a Korean TV drama and one of lead roles was the head of a department store. Whenever he gave approval for the launch of new events or programs, he always asked “Is this your best effort?” to make sure his employees were offering their best effort to the preparations.  Somehow, the phrase “Is this your best effort?” has been in my head ever since. “AM I giving my best effort in the ministry to which I have been called? How about you? I am very excited to invite you to be a part of Floris’ music ministry as we offer our best efforts to God.

The children’s music team will have an open house on Sept. 12^th at 6:00 PM in the music room. Please plan to come to find out about programs for kids from Kindergarten to 6^th grade. You will have a chance to meet directors and other families, and see what is new in children’s music this year. I can’t wait to share this new program with you all!

We are excited about some new ideas for the children’s music ministry at Floris. We will now have a “Children’s Music Team” consisting of volunteers who are willing to share great ideas and serve the children with a variety of music. If you have thought about being a part of this ministry, or if you feel God calling you to serve children in this way, please contact me at ynam@florisumc.org.  We will teach children not only songs but also various forms of music!   

One of my visions for the new season is having a full sanctuary choir each week. I want to literally see the seats of the choir loft full of people who are responding to their call to lead worship with through music and song. We need seven more sopranos, seven more altos, five more tenors, and six more basses for the sanctuary choir. If you have been saying to me “oh~ Yoon, you have plenty of people up there” when I asked you to join the choir, I’d like to say that we are always looking for more singers.  The good news is that there is no audition for the sanctuary choir! SO if God has been calling you to the music ministry, now is the time to join us! We are open to 6^th graders to 120 year olds. Please contact me right away!

The chamber choir, that sings once a month at the 11:00 o’clock service, needs three altos, two tenors, and two basses. The chamber choir is an audition-only choir that sings various forms of music from baroque to modern. They meet on every other Sunday at 2:00 pm in the music room! If you want to explore more challenging music, please contact me for these openings!

The Sonrise Singers, that sing every other Sunday at the 8:00 o’clock service, needs more than two sopranos, three altos, three tenors, and three basses. They sing simple but delightful hymn arrangements or anthems for the early service. If you are early birds, this will be your perfect opportunity to join a choir. The sonrise singers meet every other Sunday at 2:00 pm.

The Floris Strings are urgently looking for viola and cello players. We had two seniors in the viola section graduate and are looking for replacements. Also, we have only one cello so far. We are open to any strings but particularly violas and cellos!

Do you have children who are in middle school and high school? We have a new ensemble called “Viva Voce”!  Viva Voce is an audition-only group that will meet at 4:00 PM on Sundays. They will have vocal coaching and rehearsals, and perform regularly during worship services! Send me an e-mail if your kids are interested in Viva Voce.

We also have handbell choirs! Yes, we have openings in our adult, student and children’s handbell choirs. For more information about handbells contact Laura Shelton at handbellhog@gmail.com.

Are you excited to give your best effort to Him? I am! My heart has been beating faster thinking about this lately. God has everything; He must have beautiful choirs that we can’t imagine. However, He still wants us to worship Him with all of our gifts that He has given us. I can promise that your hearts will be filled with thanksgiving when you give your best to Him.

Looking forward to hearing from you all!  ynam@florisumc.org

 

 

 

Built on a rock

Summer is one of my favorite seasons even though humidity is not my favorite.  Somehow, summer gives me some energy to do exciting things such as the summer choir! If we look around our church, you can feel how exciting this summer is – just in this week alone -- Camp Hutchison, the service camp, the Music Man rehearsals, movie night, and of course, summer choir.

As I shared last week, it is an exciting opportunity for people who could not commit to come in for regular choir rehearsals. It also gives me a chance to meet various people and make music together for our beautiful Savoir! You don’t want to miss this chance! If you haven’t signed up for the summer choir but still want to join, please come on Sunday at  8:20 AM to the music room. The door is always open to people who desire to praise God.

We will sing “Built on a Rock” by Jay Althouse as our anthem this Sunday at the 9:15 AM and 11:00 AM services. This anthem’s  theme is Jesus, the Rock of our Salvation. Because our new sanctuary’s second year anniversary is this summer, I intentionally chose this song which is  full of prayers. My prayer is that our church --  not only the building but also all of us are built strongly in the Rock, our Savior Jesus -- will share His grace and salvation with others around us.

At the 8:00 AM service, one of our members, Maryann Williams, will share her beautiful violin solo, “Gavotte en Rondeu”  by J. S. Bach as the offertory.

In addition, there will be special communion music at the 5:00 PM service by CCS (Christian Classical Singers). The group consists of Christian, professional classical singers and they will share their musical gifts with us.

See, how many exciting things are happening at Floris? I am looking forward to having you all sing and worship our God together this Sunday. Here are the lyrics for the anthem. Enjoy.

Built on a Rock

Built on a rock, the Church will stand, even when steeples are falling. Built on a rock, in every land. Christ, the Lord, is calling. Calling to the young and the old to rest. Calling to the souls of those oppressed. Built on a rock, the Church will stand. Christ, our Lord, is calling.

This is a house of living stone, built for God’s habitation. He is a rock, on humble throne granting us salvation. Whenever two or more come to see His face, God will be among them to show His grace. He is a rock, and this His place, granting us salvation.

Built on a rock, the Church will stand firmly on one foundation. Built on a rock in every land, this God’s new creation. Together we have come for to give and receive. In Christ, our Lord, we do believe. Built on a rock, the Church will stand. This, God’s new creation. This, God’s new creation.

Come and praise God Together!

This summer it seems that time is passing by faster than in any other year.  Does it seem like that to you? It is already July!

My second anniversary at Floris UMC is coming up soon. It is hard to believe that I have been here for two years. I have been grateful that God has led me to be a part of His ministry at Floris UMC. I still have some hesitation when I need to drive into Washington, D.C., but except for the driving part I have been enjoying my life in Virginia a lot.

As you know, there will be summer choir for two Sundays --on July 15 and August 19.  I have met people who were sharing that they would love to join the choirs but don’t have time on Wednesday night to come for the rehearsals.  This summer choir will be a perfect opportunity for those people.  We will meet at 8:20 AM on that Sunday morning for a rehearsal.  If you have been thinking about joining the choir, please come early in the morning on Sunday July 15 and August 19 to the music room. If you haven’t thought about singing with us, but would love to try, this is a great chance. We will sing a simple anthem together to the Lord! I have had a few people say that they are not great singers. I would like to tell you for sure, God does not require great singers. He already has perfect ones in His throne at heaven. However, He wants us to praise and worship Him with all our hearts.

Let’s come together and praise our awesome God together during this summer!

a Memorable Day

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:1-4)

Whenever I read the story of Pentecost, it seems a story with vivid pictures: violent winds, tongues of fire, speaking tongues etc. That day was not normal but truly memorable to those people. Their lives were never the same after that day. Pentecost was the birth day of churches.

When I was young, I was truly expecting to see and feel the Holy Spirit as fire or strong wind at the worship service on Pentecost. How about you?

This Sunday is Pentecost. And as you know it is Memorial Day weekend. We will celebrate both at our worship services. I pray that we all have a memorable experience throughout the services in God’s strong presence. At the 8 AM service the Sonrise Singers will lift up a beautiful anthem “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven” as an offertory. At 11, the Sanctuary Choir will praise “Every time I feel the Spirit” as an anthem with two soloists, Mark Krueger and Linda Scott. Our men’s quartet group, Call to Harmony, will share a medley of songs from armed services as an offertory. The Grace Notes will sing, “Jesus and Mommy love me” as a call to worship. What a blessing to have all these talented people to lift up their talents to the Lord!

Sadly, it will be the last Sunday at Floris for our accompanist, Billie Whittaker. She is moving to Florida soon due to her husband’s new job. Please pray for God’s blessings on her and her husband and their new adventure in a new area.

At last, I am back to the States safely. Thanks all for your prayers. I did have a wonderful time even though it was hard to leave my mom. I appreciate for your continuing prayers for my mom. She is well but alone.

Here are the lyrics of our anthem at 11:00. May the Spirit of God fill us fully!

Every time I fell the Spirit, moving in my heart, I will pray, every time I fell the Spirit, moving in my heart, I will pray.

1. On the mountain, my Lord spoke, out His mouth came fire and smoke. Down in the valley, on my knees, asked my Lord have mercy please.
2. Jordan River, chilly and cold, chills the body not the soul, All around me looked so fine, asked my Lord if all was mine.
3. Ain’t but one train on this track, runs to heaven and right back. St. Peter waiting at the gate, said come on sinner, don’t be late.

Every time I fell the Spirit, moving in my heart, I will pray, every time I fell the Spirit, moving in my heart, I will pray.

what makes people pray?

I would like to share with you the special music to be offered during our worship services for the next two weeks. All of this inspired music will be happening in my absence as I am currently in Korea visiting my family.

The Oakton High School Madrigal Choir will visit to share their glorious music at 9:15 AM and 11:00 AM this Sunday. They will lift up several songs in various forms of music. I am sure that it will be a musical offering, not only to the Lord, but also to Mothers!  At the 8:00 AM service the SonriseSingers will share, “Great Are You Lord” as an offertory.

Then, on Sunday May 20, it is confirmation Sunday, and there will be special music offered by a student trio, including Hannah Berlin, Sarah Smiths, and Christine Cox at the 9:15 AM and 11:00 AM services. And, Stephanie Introne will play a lovely flute piece for the offertory at 11:00 AM.

I pray that the Lord may enrich your spirit with beautiful music during these worship services.

On a personal note, I arrived in Korea on Tuesday. The last time I visited was in 2006, and I can see how much has changed during those six years. I am acclimating myself to new ways of using public transportation while I stay at my Mom’s place located outside of Seoul. Seoul is like downtown New York--full of people, cars, neon signs, and huge buildings.

I have noticed some major differences on this visit, particularly when I attended a dawn prayer service with my Mom at 5:00 AM. The church has two dawn prayer services from Monday to Saturday and it runs more than ten church buses. They were big tour buses to take people to the dawn services every morning. It came 4:40AM in my Mom’s neighborhood. All those buses were full of people. I found that other church buses were on the street at that time to take their members to their prayer services. When I went into my Mother’s church, I was surprised how many people were already in the sanctuary praying before the service started. They have about 10,000 members. The sanctuary holds 2,000 people at once and it is three stories tall. While hearing people’s prayers around me, I questioned myself and wondered what make people pray like this? Even though I pray almost every morning, I was deeply challenged when I witnessed this. And surprisingly, this church was not considered a big church in the town. There were several similarly large churches nearby. There are even more in downtown Seoul. I am not inspired by the size of these churches, but by their congregants’ willingness to get closer to the Lord. I don’t believe that only people who are praying in church are more faithful. However, I could tell you that their hearts are close to the Lord.

We studied and made new efforts with prayer during Lent this year at Floris UMC. I am not sure whether or not I prayed more during that time, but am sure that I did not pray like these people. Around 200 years ago missionaries from America came to Korea to spread the Good News, and several of them were persecuted and died in this land. I think those sacrificed lives helped make this happen in Korea now. Their prayers and their lives still run through the churches and people’s hearts in Korea.

I pray that the power of the Good News also restores people’s hearts in America. Who knows, we might have to run huge church buses every morning!

Geistliches Lied (Sacred Song)

Welcome May! Can you believe that it is already May? I have lately enjoyed fresh air after rain. It bring more various fragrant to me always. I hope that you all enjoy it too.

In May, there will be many special Sundays at our worship. On May 13^th, Mother’s day, you will hear wonderful music by Oakton high school Madrigal choir at 11:00 o’clock service, and on 20^th, confirmation Sunday, beautiful trio and flute solo from our students will lift up their music! And 27^th is Pentecost!

This Sunday is a Communion Sunday, and the chamber choir will lift up a beautiful song by Brahms called “Geistliches Lied” (Sacred Song) in German. Brahms used early baroque composition technique to bring more sacred sound along with the lyric. I hope you enjoy hearing this beautiful song, and feel God’s presence.  

At 8:00 o’clock, one of my daughter, Christine and I will sing a duet “Prayer for Humility” as an offertory. It has a beautiful prayerful lyric. I pray that the Lord refresh our souls with beautiful praise throughout the services.

May the Lord enrich our lives abundantly with His love and grace!

 Here is a translation of “Geistliches Lied”. Enjoy!

Geistliches Lied (Sacred Song) by J. Brahms

Let no sad thought oppress thee, distress thee;

Fear nothing, trust God's own will, and be thou still, my spirit, my spirit.

Heed not with care and sorrow the morrow, the morrow, our Father who all doth see shall give to thee thy portion.

From righteous paths then range not, and change not; be steadfast, for God is just; give Him thy trust forever, forever.

Amen