Worship & Music Conference

Two weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Worship & Music Conference in Montreat, N.C.  This is an annual conference put on by the Presbyterian Association of Musicians, and it features some of the best musicians, preachers, and worship leaders our denomination has to offer.
I was grateful to have a chance to attend this conference.  Although I have heard many good things about it over the years, this was my first time in attendance.  It was a wonderful experience that offered much more than an opportunity to escape the heat here in Greensboro and enjoy some cool mountain air. It also provided me with refreshment of a different kind.
I was able to attend classes that offered engaging and challenging material.  I had the opportunity to engage in conversations with colleagues about how our various congregations were handling both the challenges and opportunities before us. Perhaps the most life-giving portion of the conference were the worship services held each day just before lunch.  It was a gift to hear from the worship leaders and preachers, to witness their creativity, to feel their sense of passion, and to be renewed by the presence of the Holy Spirit in that place.
I certainly learned a great deal at the Worship & Music Conference, and look forward to finding ways to implement and experiment with some of the concepts that were presented there.
I hope that each of you are also able to find some time away this summer so that you might experience some rest and renewal for your souls.  I know that many of you will be doing just that over this July 4th week.
As we mark the occasion of the independence of our country, we certainly give thanks to God for the freedoms and liberty that we each enjoy, as well as all those who serve to protect those freedoms.  As we lift up our prayers of gratitude, may we be reminded never to take those freedoms for granted nor the responsibilities that come along with them.
In Christ,
Charlie Lee