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April 25, 2003

Edition

Little choir with a big heart continues to grow

Council of Bishops’ Initiative on Children and Poverty grant allows Sarasota children’s choir to reach out to children in the community

By J.A. Dunn

SARASOTA — The children’s choir at First United Methodist Church here has grown from four members four years ago to a whopping 26 children today.

While that may sound like normal growth for most churches, it’s large for this church because only five are members of the congregation.

Elizabeth Goldstein, director of the choir, said a $3,000 grant from the Florida Conference Council of Bishops’ Initiative on Children and Poverty (BICAP) task force awarded in January has made it possible.

Florida Conference congregations may apply for a BICAP grant to undertake specific actions to make their churches more responsive to the needs of children and their families in the church and community.

BICAP funds are collected through offerings taken at the Florida Annual Conference events. Churches are then given opportunities to apply for grants. Since the inception of the conference’s BICAP initiative in 1996 more than $550,000 has been collected and distributed to more than 150 churches.

Goldstein said she wanted to use her church’s grant as an outreach to local children who have an interest in music, but who do not have the opportunity to utilize their talent. She said grant funds are used toward choral music instruction and transporting the children to and from rehearsal, as well as snacks for the kids.

“We wanted to promote diversity through the richness of music,” Goldstein said. “We are giving choral music instruction, and the only thing we ask in return is that they practice each Wednesday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. and that they sing during our worship service once a month.”

Some of the children’s parents have attended worship services and some have joined, although the Rev. James McWhinnie said that’s just a perk and not the purpose of the choir.

“We are in an old, historic part of downtown,” McWhinnie said. “So for the most part we are in an affluent community, and not far away is low-income housing. We really wanted to use this grant to get outside our walls and into the community.”

The choir is definitely out in the community. The children are performing April 27 at the Sarasota District’s Myakka United Methodist Church and performed with the Tampa Bay Children’s Chorus in March at its church.

“We are promoting diversity and connecting children to the love of God,” Goldstein said. “We want these children to know they are special, they have unique gifts and whatever they do is good enough. We are teaching them musical excellence and teaching them love and discipline in a positive manner. I recognize them when they behave well, and they applaud one another. So they are not ‘I’ centered. It’s just a joy to work with them.”

McWhinnie said the choir helps the church remove some of its “upper crust” edge, which makes it appear unapproachable to some in the community. “It takes away our intimidation and gives us street smarts. We want to share who we are with families in the community.”

For more information about the BICAP initiative visit http://www.flumc.org/bicap1.htm


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