{"id":33917,"date":"2024-09-25T10:27:29","date_gmt":"2024-09-25T14:27:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=33917"},"modified":"2024-11-18T14:07:03","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T19:07:03","slug":"open-mic-opens-hearts-to-god-9-20-24","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=33917","title":{"rendered":"Open Mic Opens Hearts to God (9\/20\/24)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.\u00a0 It wasn’t a competition; it was simply an evening of original and familiar music to celebrate our relationship to God.\u00a0 <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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God’s Talents at Work<\/span><\/h3>\n

God doesn’t give\u00a0 us talents and abilities so we can bring attention to ourselves.\u00a0 He empowers us with talents so that we can bring attention to God.\u00a0 There’s a verse in 1 Peter that sums this up:<\/p>\n\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\tDo you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.<\/span><\/p>\n

1 Peter 4:11<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div> \n

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To “bring glory to God” is to use the things He gave us to recognize the work of Jesus in our lives.\u00a0 Because of Jesus and the cross, God has brought us into a relationship with Himself.\u00a0 Because of the Holy Spirit, we can grow into that relationship.\u00a0 What all of that theological stuff means is that we can actually see God’s activity in our lives and be thankful for it. \"\"<\/p>\n

And on this night, all sorts of voices and instruments worked together\u00a0 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\u00a0 of our Creator-God and to Jesus who brought us into that Love.<\/p>\n

Pastor Mike sang a couple of his sings and also served as emcee for the “program.”\u00a0 But more importantly, his witness kept us on focus;\u00a0 the musicians, the music, the instruments were all there on this special night to turn our hearts to Jesus and to glorify God.<\/p>\n

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Christian Open Mic Night<\/span><\/h3>\n

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).\u00a0 \u00a0But 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 \u00a0Some 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.\u00a0 There were guitars, keyboards, and even the rhythmic thump of a cane that brought music to the evening.\u00a0 There were solos sung to recorded accompaniment, and tight harmonies sung acapello.\u00a0 The musicians came from\u00a0 a variety of church backgrounds such as Assembly of God, Catholic, and Methodist.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The evening encompassed a variety of musical styles and personalities, but all of them worked in harmony to lift the Name of Jesus.<\/p>\n

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Here are some glimpses of this inspiring evening….<\/p>\n

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