Dear Church Family and Friends,
One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 100 because it calls us to sing praises to God and to come into worship with thanksgiving in our hearts. Music feeds our souls and enhances our worship of God whether we come in praise or in sorrow or somewhere in between. I’m truly thankful for the gift of music and for the talented people (both accompanists & choir members) who offer their gifts to make our worship so meaningful. With all of this in mind, we’ve got some changes and updates coming to our Music Ministry that I want to let you know about.
Farewell Mary Jo
This Sunday in worship we’ll say farewell to our Director of Music Ministry, Mary Jo West. Mary Jo is resigning to focus on her full-time work as a realtor. We’re thankful for the time she’s spent with us sharing music in worship and leading our choir.
Interim Musicians
As we begin our search for a new Director of Music Ministry, you may be wondering who will be playing music for our worship services. In the interim, Hilda Jowers will return as our regular pianist. You may recall she played for our worship and accompanied the choir during our last search process. Hilda was the accompanist at Helena UMC for more than 50 years. She’s also a retired fifth grade teacher and my mom.
In addition, Dr. Rachel Julian will join us once a month in worship on our historic pipe organ. Rachel currently works as a Psychiatrist for UAB and United Counseling. She’s also an ordained Elder in the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church. Plus, she has a degree in organ music and enjoys serving as a substitute organist for various churches.
We’re thankful to both Hilda and Rachel for sharing their musical gifts with us in worship as we search for new Music Ministry Team members.
We’re Hiring
These are the job postings for our Music Ministry Team. If you or someone you know is interested, please have them reach out to me.
Director of Music Ministry
Avondale United Methodist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, is seeking a part-time Director of Music Ministry. The primary responsibilities of the position are to provide appropriate music for a weekly service of worship that is aligned to the liturgical and/or scriptural message of the day. This includes playing the piano to accompany congregational hymns and choral anthems as well as rehearsing and directing the choir. Other responsibilities include playing piano for special seasonal worship services, directing and accompanying a seasonal children’s choir, and contracting instrumentalists and vocalists for special occasions. All candidates shall be asked to demonstrate proficiency through an informal audition process. Interested candidates should email a resume, cover letter, and three references to Rev. Malinda Weaver (malinda@avonumc.net).
Organist
Avondale United Methodist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, is seeking a part-time Organist. The primary responsibility of the position is to provide appropriate music for a weekly service of worship that is aligned to the liturgical and/or scriptural message of the day. Other responsibilities include overseeing the care and maintenance of the historic organ as well as playing for special seasonal worship services, weddings, and funerals as the need arises. All candidates shall be asked to demonstrate proficiency through an informal audition process. The organ is a 24-rank instrument built in 1930 by E.M. Skinner, Op. 802, and was installed at Avondale in 1941 by Aeolian Skinner, Op. 802-A. Interested candidates should email a resume, cover letter, and three references to Rev. Malinda Weaver (malinda@avonumc.net).
As always, feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. You can also contact our Church Council Chair, Therese Laeger (Therese.Laeger@gmail.com).
Please join me in praying for the right candidates to come our way and join our Music Ministry Team as we seek to continue to be a place of worship and welcome in our corner of Avondale.
Blessings,
Rev. Malinda Weaver
Psalm 100
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him; bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever
and his faithfulness to all generations.