Every day of my freshman year at Oklahoma Baptist University, I arose early for an Honors Music Theory course with beloved professor, Kathryne Timberlake. I immediately followed her class with an Old Testament course taught by her husband, James Timberlake. Both Timberlakes (of blessed memory), were longtime, revered educators at OBU, and were pivotal to my growth and preparation for music ministry. 

Mrs. Timberlake's effective teaching of Music Theory with its Sight-Singing and Ear Training components transitioned my musicianship to undergraduate level, laying a solid foundation on which to build. The understandings and skills gained in her class were paramount to success in my scholastic and creative future. In the same way, her husband and other OBU religion faculty of the early 1980's significantly enlarged my understanding of the Bible. Presenting important truths at the outset of Bible coursework, they included in every syllabus an article by Chevis F. Horne,* entitled: "The Language of the Bible: Literal or Symbolic?" (The Baptist Program, February 1977). This article provided instruction on the symbolic and metaphorical language found throughout the various literary genres of the Bible’s many books. It encouraged students to explore the Bible beyond a literal understanding. I'm grateful for this kind of mind-stretching education that was offered to me through these formational courses and gifted instructors.

In addition to her teaching, as Kathryne Timberlake's youngest student (having entered college a few months before my 17th birthday), I knew firsthand the sincere care for students she extended beyond the classroom. As I was preparing to graduate college and enter seminary, Mrs. Timberlake called me into her office to catch up and bless me on my way. She was even somewhat of a prophet as during that visit she predicted I'd meet my future wife at Southern Seminary - which, indeed, I did. 

Years later, it seemed fitting to compose a hymn text and tune in honor of Kathryne Timberlake for her 85th birthday. The resulting hymn text, Composer of All the Music We Hear, images the divine as a musician.** The hymn's harmonic tune is aptly named, "TIMBERLAKE." It celebrates God's gift of music known in the foundational sounds and systems of melody, harmony and rhythm, in music’s ability to gather instruments and voices together, in its mysterious power to comfort, heal, and express deep emotion, and in its enrichment of mind, body, soul, and strength throughout life. This music-themed hymn could be meaningfully used in services celebrating music and the arts. 

I was honored to hear from Mrs. Timberlake how her 85th Birthday hymn (framed as a gift by her friend and colleague, Mary Kay Parrish) was displayed in the entryway to her apartment where she viewed it each day. She told me how her grandchildren surprised her by singing it on her 90th Birthday, and I was deeply moved when it was sung by the congregation gathered for her Celebration of Life Service in 2019.

Composer of All the Music We Hear is available as a single hymn with harmonic descant and is also included in the song collection: Inclusive Hymns for Liberation, Peace, and Justice. 

I distinctly remember my college friend, David DeSeguirant, and I wondering, "What's a Menotti?" At the time, David and I were freshmen Music Theory and Composition majors at Oklahoma Baptist University (along with our friend, Leslie Allison, whom David and I agreed was the best composer of the three of us, but who later decided to major in Nursing).

The professors in OBU’s Music Theory and Composition Department had invited the composition majors to travel to nearby Oklahoma University for the opportunity to “hear Menotti.” At first, David wondered if “Menotti” was an Italian opera. I thought perhaps it could be—we were close! But upon further investigation, we discovered that Gian Carlo Menotti was the world-renowned composer of Amahl and the Night Visitors, the famous opera commissioned by NBC and composed for American television.

Though apparently I had not yet focused on the composer, the previous December I had the privilege of hearing Professor Mary Kay Parrish sing the part of the boy character, “Amahl,” in an OBU production of Amahl and the Night Visitors, a role she had famously played about twenty times! Mary Kay's stature, dramatic talent, and pure soprano voice combined to bring the character to life, masterfully. 

The title of Menotti’s opera also rang a bell with me because as a fourth grader at Tulsa’s Eugene Field Elementary School, I had been selected to narrate a play version of Amahl and the Night Visitors. At the first rehearsal, speaking in my best Oklahoma accent, I remember sounding out the printed name “Amahl” as “am-hahl!” My music teacher, who was directing the play, quickly corrected my pronunciation, sparing me any further embarrassment! Who would have known years later that I would meet the opera's librettist and composer?

On the day of our college field trip to hear Menotti, the composition students traveled by university van with our four distinguished professors: Kathryne Timberlake, Michael Cox, Nancy Hill Cobb, and Mary Kay Parrish. We arrived just in time to enter an OU arena as Menotti was beginning his lecture. I wish I could recall the lecture in detail, but I’m sure he spoke about his life and career as a composer. When the lecture concluded and the large crowd dispersed, we remained behind for an opportunity to speak with him. After a short wait, those of us who had come from OBU stood in a circle with the great composer. We had him all to ourselves!

Setting the stage for the rest of this story, to the left of me in the circle was Mary Kay Parrish, with Menotti directly across from us. Right off the bat, our beloved professor and matriarch, Kathryne Timberlake, introduced our group to the composer and told him we were from Oklahoma Baptist University. After cordial introductions, Mrs. Timberlake, who was the cousin of internationally acclaimed pianist Van Cliburn, reminded Menotti of his presence at one of her cousin’s events—perhaps the famous Cliburn Competition in Fort Worth, Texas. Menotti replied that he had not attended. Mrs. Timberlake offered other specific memories of the occasion, but Menotti adamantly denied having been there. As we witnessed the increasingly frustrating conversation, we all knew without a doubt that Mrs. Timberlake’s account was accurate.

Our jovial circle suddenly became an uneasy one. No one knew quite what to say as we stood in awkward silence.

Because of my extroverted, social nature, and finding the silence uncomfortable, I decided to "break the ice."
​
As if making a grand introduction, I boldly placed my arms in a half-hug around Professor Mary Kay Parrish and, in a proclamatory voice, announced to Gian Carlo Menotti:
"And this is Amahl!"

I thought this would relieve the tension in our circle, but instead, the blood drained from Mary Kay's face as she looked at me and said aloud: 
"I am in trouble now."

I had no idea what she was talking about.

Then, right in front of Menotti, she informed me:
“He specifically indicates in his score that he desires only boy sopranos for the part of Amahl!”*

I was speechless.

Mary Kay then humbly told Menotti:
"I've performed the role about twenty times."

Then...​

​without a word...

and to our astonishment...

Gian Carlo Menotti walked across the circle toward Mary Kay...

placed both of his hands on her shoulders...

leaned forward, and...

KISSED HER FOREHEAD!

Our entire group breathed a collective sigh of relief as the tension dissolved into grateful laughter. Menotti’s ceremonial kiss seemed to offer both absolution and blessing.
​
On the way back to OBU, we all relived our experience with Menotti including Mrs. Timberlake's disbelief that he did not remember the Cliburn event. And, instead of a disastrous conclusion to the day, word quickly spread around the university about Mary Kay’s well-deserved kiss from Menotti—and my role in bringing it about (whew!).

*In the published score of Amahl and the Night Visitors, Menotti indicates: “It is the express wish of the composer that the role of Amahl should always be performed by a boy. Neither the musical nor the dramatic concept of the opera permits the substitution of a woman costumed as a child.” If it were possible, perhaps Menotti would now add: "...except for Mary Kay Parrish!" ​

As I mark 25 years as Minister of Music for Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, this post reflects on my early journey to Music Ministry with gratitude for the many people whose lives helped direct my path.
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Family
Being born into a family committed to the Church and its music was the start of my journey. Though the only musical talent admitted by my father was playing "You Are My Sunshine" on the harmonica, he was an enthusiastic participant in congregational singing. My mother was a self-described "gospel alto" who sang by ear as she faithfully participated in church choirs and quartets. Attending Wednesday evening choir rehearsals with her was an early and impactful memory for me.[i] My maternal grandfather was also a spirited singer of hymns at home and church, but my three older sisters were the ones who encouraged my early music-making the most. By age 3 I was sitting at the end of the piano bench with them in a church service singing my first solo, John W. Peterson's and Alfred B. Smith’s "Surely Goodness and Mercy."[ii] 
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Childhood Church
As a preschooler, the church of my childhood[iii] nurtured my love of music in Sunday School and worship. At the age of 4 after proudly learning to whistle, our church's pastor, Monroe Philbeck, called me to the pulpit during a Sunday morning service to whistle the concluding hymn! This celebratory gesture effectively provided my first opportunity to offer "instrumental" music in the church (a fun fact I have shared with church orchestras). During Sunday evening services my parents would allow me to sit by myself at the front of the sanctuary where I would sing as loudly as I could. As I grew, additional music experiences in children's choir and as a young soloist were provided me by the church's part-time Ministers of Music.

Music Evangelists
In my elementary years I became aware of Music Ministry as a career when our church hosted a family of music evangelists once or twice a year to lead revival services. For these week-long events, the Bobby Smith family of Muskogee, Oklahoma, would travel and live in a Winnebago. Admittedly, as a child, it was the prospect of traveling in a Winnebago that first drew my attention! But my interest soon turned to the fact that the four-member family not only sang together, led congregations, choirs, and recorded albums, but Bobby Smith also composed their music. Along with the records for sale on the table in the church's vestibule was his sheet music and books. One fall, their son David attended my backyard birthday party and needed a windbreaker. I eagerly traded him mine for one of his father's song collections.

I was enthused by the realization that church music was not only composed in the past but also by contemporary individuals. This creative work intrigued and interested me. I was especially amazed when Bobby Smith wrote a song at our church during the Sunday School hour and then sang it that very day in the worship service! Years later when the same congregation ordained me to ministry, I sang that piece[iv] for my service - in the very space where the song was created and first sung. The idea that music composition could be a means of music ministry was implanted in me during this time. Not long before I entered college, that idea would flower (detailed in the blog post, Divine Wisdom in a Question).​

Church of My Youth
As I entered Junior High School, my interest in a music ministry career increased significantly after my family moved to a different church.[v] This congregation's outstanding Minister of Music, Lex Blankenship, effectively modeled for me the role of a Minister of Music, and provided opportunities for me to offer my musical gifts. During a revival service in this congregation (interestingly, led by a pastor from our former church), I expressed my desire to become a Minister of Music. Even though I was only 13 years old, Lex and the congregation embraced my decision and began my training immediately. Lex treated me as an intern, inviting me to follow him on the job and participate in his work. The church asked me to be the Music Leader for its next revival, giving me the opportunity as a youth to lead both congregation and choir. Following this experience, between the ages of 13 and 16, I led the music for numerous revivals in other Oklahoma churches.

Childhood Church (return)
Several months before I turned 16, Tom Branch, the new pastor at the church of my childhood, invited me to become the church's interim Minister of Music. The congregation had dwindled after an unfortunate pastorate, and Tom was a recent seminary graduate, working to rebuild this faith community. My maternal grandfather was among the remnant of individuals who had remained as members of the church, and I gladly accepted the opportunity. I enjoyed honing my church music leadership skills back in my home congregation, and after a few weeks, the church invited me to officially become its part-time Minister of Music. This job during my senior year in high school provided invaluable experience. The  summer before entering college, this church of mostly saintly individuals from my childhood, encouraged my ministry with the blessing of ordination. 

Many Others 
There are many other people who had considerable impact on my journey toward a career in Music Ministry. These include cherished family, friends, church staff members, and educators. Significant among these is Warren M. Angell whose inspiring work I experienced before college, and whose college of fine arts I attended (see the blog post, In Gratitude for Warren M. Angell). 

As I celebrate a milestone year in Music Ministry, I am thankful for the many individuals who pointed the way.

"Have you considered becoming a composition major?" This question, posed by Mary June Tabor (of blessed memory), clarified and guided the course of my career.

Though I had briefly met Mary June at a children’s choir festival several years earlier, I became reacquainted with her when she called my home to inform me that I had won the high school division of a choral composition contest! The contest had been sponsored by the Church Music Department of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma where Mary June was a longtime and beloved employee.

I was overjoyed at this success with my very first attempt at composing. Along with a $50 prize, the win included a performance of my piece at the 1982 Youth Music Leadership Event, a statewide conference for youth choirs and their leaders held at Oklahoma Baptist University on February 26-27, 1982. I was preparing to attend OBU’s Warren M. Angell College of Fine Arts in the fall of that year, so the trip to hear my composition performed would also provide the opportunity for me to officially enroll.

On the Saturday morning of the event, my parents drove me from our hometown of Tulsa to the university’s town of Shawnee, Oklahoma. When we arrived at OBU’s Yarborough[i] Auditorium the conference youth choir was already rehearsing under the direction of Jim Davis,[ii] Minister of Music for Tulsa's First Baptist Church.  Not long after my parents and I seated ourselves in the middle of the auditorium, the choir began to rehearse my piece. It was deeply moving to hear a composition of mine sung for the first time – somewhat of an out-of-body experience as the music I notated in isolation came to life through the combined voices of the singers. 

My winning choral piece, Draw Near to God, was a setting of James 4:8  from the Christian Scriptures: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” The contest provided entrants a list of scriptures from which to select, and I chose this passage because its natural speech rhythms seemed especially suited to choral writing. If I were selecting today, I would not be drawn to the exclusively masculine pronoun for God nor the calling out of “sinners” or the “double-minded.” Having had no prior experience composing, I attribute this compositional success to the variety of music-making experiences I had in church, school, and piano lessons. All of these combined to help me instinctually expand the text into a choral anthem for SAB voices and piano.

Between the choir's rehearsal and its closing performance, I went to OBU’s Fine Arts Office to enroll in coursework. I had been focused on a career as a  Minister of Music since the age of thirteen and was looking forward to beginning work on my bachelor’s degree.[iii] As I filled out forms in a private room near the auditorium, I reached the section that required me to select a major. I knew that Ministers of Music were typically voice or keyboard majors, and I was interested in both, but I couldn't decide. As I pondered this difficult choice Mary June came into the room. Expressing to her my inability to decide on a major, she asked: “Have you considered becoming a composition major?” Though I do not usually approach life in mystical ways, I instantly knew Mary June’s timely presence and thoughtful question provided divine wisdom.

Even after the exciting experience of hearing the conference choir rehearse my composition that morning, the idea of becoming a composition major had not yet entered my mind! I suspect this was because I was so focused on becoming a Minister of Music. Most students preparing for this role would receive a degree in Church Music, but the contest and Mary June’s question opened my mind to consider a degree in Music Theory and Composition. After confidently making that choice, it was a grand celebration to hear the choir’s concluding performance of Draw Near to God. On the ride home, my mind raced forward in time, envisioning ways the craft of music composition would express and enhance my ministry.

Epilogue
The education I received in the Warren M. Angell College of Fine Arts at OBU from 1982-1986 was incomparable. I was fortunate to study composition in the studio of Nancy Hill Cobb and also with Michael Cox. Both are renowned composers and gifted teachers, unparalleled in their fields. Although my bachelor's degree was not in Church Music, the skills and knowledge I gained through my studies in Music Theory and Composition have proven invaluable in my ministry through music.

​My college education culminated with a senior composition recital in Yarborough Auditorium. Family, friends, and educators from my childhood to that present day filled the auditorium to capacity to help me celebrate this milestone event. The recital included works for brass choir, clarinet and piano, two of the university’s choirs accompanied by piano and harp, a comical trumpet solo with electronically-prepared tape accompaniment, and a piano sonata. Additionally, the children's choir of my college church, First Baptist Church of Shawnee, directed by OBU professor, Betty Woodward, performed my first published choral anthem, Sing to the Lord of Harvest (Broadman Press, 1986). I composed this piece in a class taught by Professor Nancy Cobb when I was eighteen, and it was accepted for publication during my college years.

It was meaningful to me that my college composition recital was held in Yarborough auditorium where four years earlier I heard my first composition performed. The cake at the recital reception commemorated that treasured memory with a decoration featuring the opening melody of Draw Near to God.

All had come full circle. ​