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.