On the evening of Friday 9/20/24, PUMC opened its doors, turned on its sound system, and invited people from different towns and churches to use whatever musical talents they have to fill those mics with sounds of praise. It wasn’t a competition; it was simply an evening of original and familiar music to celebrate our relationship to God.
God’s Talents at Work
God doesn’t give us talents and abilities so we can bring attention to ourselves. He empowers us with talents so that we can bring attention to God. There’s a verse in 1 Peter that sums this up:
To “bring glory to God” is to use the things He gave us to recognize the work of Jesus in our lives. Because of Jesus and the cross, God has brought us into a relationship with Himself. Because of the Holy Spirit, we can grow into that relationship. What all of that theological stuff means is that we can actually see God’s activity in our lives and be thankful for it. 
And on this night, all sorts of voices and instruments worked together to draw our attention to God. God given talents, Christian fellowship, and the message of the music all joined forces to connect everyone there to the love of our Creator-God and to Jesus who brought us into that Love.
Pastor Mike sang a couple of his sings and also served as emcee for the “program.” But more importantly, his witness kept us on focus; the musicians, the music, the instruments were all there on this special night to turn our hearts to Jesus and to glorify God.
Christian Open Mic Night
PUMC has hosted “open mic nights” before; it’s a time for community and to welcome and appreciate anyone’s musical talent (however limited or great it may be). But this evening’s open mic night was specifically designed to be one in which we would appreciate God’s love and activity in our lives.
Attendance for this first Christian Open Mic night was small, but about 50 people spent the evening in the sanctuary to pray, meditate, clap, and fellowship. As it says in PUMC’s purpose statement, the evening “created a climate where spiritual growth occurs.”
Musicians from places such as Dennisville, Tuckahoe, Aldine, and Pitman joined together to celebrate Jesus. The evening featured 12 “performers,” each presenting 2-3 songs and moments of worship. Some of the songs were traditional hymns (played on the organ), others were familiar contemporary songs, and others were original songs presented by the people who wrote them. There were guitars, keyboards, and even the rhythmic thump of a cane that brought music to the evening. There were solos sung to recorded accompaniment, and tight harmonies sung acapello. The musicians came from a variety of church backgrounds such as Assembly of God, Catholic, and Methodist.
The evening encompassed a variety of musical styles and personalities, but all of them worked in harmony to lift the Name of Jesus.
Here are some glimpses of this inspiring evening….
More to Come!
This evening was such a success that we’re already envisioning getting back together and holding another Christian Open Mic night. Stay tuned!
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