Leadership
A Special Message from Mark Johnson
Sunday, March 4 — First Baptist Church, Garland, TX
On Sunday March 4 the Cool Springs Symphony met at First Baptist Church in Garland, Texas. Music Minister Mark Hill was our host. By all means of measurement, it was probably our best concert ever. The group played better and rehearsed more quickly than at any previous concert. That translated into a more relaxed and meaningful time of worship during our concert.
Our group met throughout Sunday afternoon and played an evening worship/concert at 6:15. Our final group was 8/7/5/11/3, harp and piano for a total of 36 players - just the right number! If you look through the picture gallery, you can tell we pretty much filled up all of the platform space, especially on the cello site. Twelve of the those participating were new players, and it's always great to have new people involved in our ministry. Of the twelve new participants, four were soloists on "My Tribute", "He Leadeth Me", "I Need Thee Every Hour" and "I Must Tell Jesus." All of our soloists were exceptionally good that evening. Everyone there came to play - there was no dead wood on the platform. Our rehearsal was probably the most efficient and well paced that we have had for a CSS event.
As registrations began to come in, it became apparent that we would be especially strong on the bass clef end of the strings. Thus, one of the new pieces was a feature for cellos of the worship chorus "Here I Am to Worship." Our other new piece based on "Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus" was a violin feature - and it needs some more arranger work to fill in some holes where the sound was too dead! (revisions now underway.) Just like me, it's a work in progress!
The evening service congregation had about 250-300 persons and there were a lot of family and friends from the DFW area. Our readers and Powerpoint text were great. Some unexpected serendipity: I started "This is My Father's World" in 2/2 instead of 4/4 as I had in rehearsal and the opening section was essentially in half time - with some very bare places. A re-start (oh no!) was looming, but I decided to keep going and ride it out. Then, as different instruments made their entrances, the pace picked up gradually until the entire piece was back at the regular tempo after about one minute. I've never seen or been a part of anything like this before, and I don't think we could do it again even if we tried. It was an incredible recovery by our group!
This event, and the quality of the personnel really made me realize that it's now time to bump up the music level another notch. I felt that the performers were really much better than the actual arrangements. I'm encouraged to try some new and expanded writing formats, and these will hopefully turn up in new pieces underway right now. In particular, I am drawn to the text and music of the Messiah chorus: "And With His Stripes We Are Healed."
There is planning now underway for a special event in Dallas on the weekend of August 3-4, 2007. This event will feature all new music (except for the two new pieces we got underway in Garland) and include rehearsal time, an on-location recording, and a Saturday evening concert. Look for more information on this soon.
January 2007
The year 2007 has many new beginnings for the Cool Springs Symphony. God has blessed us with several new opportunities for the group to help us grow and explore new ministry.
Since leaving LifeWay in July 2006, it has been my desire to see the Cool Springs Symphony expand and explore new directions. Others in our group desired to share their vision and partner with the Cool Springs Symphony in our growth. Many of the participants in the group want to assist but need the right structure for us to accept their help. It was time for the Cool Springs Symphony to become a nonprofit.
In December 2006, we began an effort to complete our 501 (c)(3) nonprofit paperwork with the IRS. This was a very significant undertaking due to the complicated IRS paperwork needed to complete the filing. We were blessed by the assistance of Ben Smith, who was recently admitted to the State Bar Association of Tennessee, and is preparing to enter a full-time law practice. Ben was our principal cellist and soloist for "My Tribute" on our 2003 CD. Through a series of meetings with Ben, we were able to file our nonprofit application and are now waiting for IRS approval, which is expected in May 2007. Bob Gent, a Certified Public Accountant who has been a friend to our group for many years, also agreed to assist with several financial elements needed for our nonprofit filing. Ben and Bob were exactly the right people at the right time to help the Cool Springs Symphony move to the next level as an organization and are most grateful for their efforts.
When our nonprofit status is confirmed later this Spring, we will have several new structures in place:
- We will be governed by a Board of Directors and Bylaws
- The Cool Springs Symphony will be able to accept charitable gifts that are tax-deductable
- The Board of Directors will oversee planning for future Cool Springs Symphony events, such as worship/concert dates or tour
Soon, we will post information on our Board of Directors, along with future projects and ways you can help. An announcement will be made when our nonprofit application has been formally approved. After our first Board meeting, we will know more about what types of assistance would be the most helpful from our group members. Please consider how your efforts might be beneficial to the Cool Springs Symphony in the future.