At FRBC of Atlanta, we exist to exalt the name of the Lord Most High, as that is what God calls us to do. It pleases our Lord and blesses us, his children, to come before Him with praise and thanksgiving. We read in Psalm 150 that we are to “Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens, Praise Him for his acts of power; praise Him for his surpassing greatness.” In a phrase, music is just another form of worship and adoration that we are to bring forth to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is because God desires to personally commune with us that we praise Him, and music enables us to do that. Whether through church choirs, band and orchestral ensembles or sanctuary hymnal singing, we recognize the importance of musical praise as an offering to Jesus who is most worthy.
When we embrace the role music plays in our midst, we recognize its power to unite, to transform and to draw us closer to God’s Perfect will. Throughout Scripture, we read that music holds the power to both calm and excite, encourage and strengthen, and celebrate all that the Lord has given us. In good times or bad times, music ministers to our very real and present needs. When King Saul in the book of I Samuel is described as having a “distressed spirit” Saul’s servants summon the young Shepard boy David to the king’s chambers. Soon thereafter, David takes his harp and from it strums a sweet sounding song, a sound that reverberates and has an instant effect on King Saul; the King is soon relieved of his “distressed spirit”. It is just the same today. Music comforts and revitalizes our spirits, when mere words are not enough. But that is not all, for music also exists to serve others.
Serving others is the example that Christ left for us and so it is with this added goal of ministering to others that music stakes its place in our congregation. Whether you find that your musical participation works best in a group, solo, instrumental or congregational setting, we invite you to let your praise be heard. Let your song give Glory to the One who merits it. But, in doing so, we must always remember that our praise must comport with God’s singular purpose for our lives, that is to “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts” (Colossians 3:16). Only in that way, is the name of the Lord our God, honored and praised among His people.
Now you may wonder – How can I involve myself in the music ministry at FRBC – Atlanta? The ways are limitless. All are called to praise him. Psalm 66: 1-2 harkens us to “Shout for joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious.” Whether you are a child, adolescent, adult or elder, lift your voice to the Lord and let your voice resound. Remember that music is a sacred offering. Because we praise God’s Holy name, our voices, our instruments, and our talent should reflect just that. In I Chronicles 16:4, the prophet Ezra writes that David “appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to extol, thank and praise the Lord, The God of Israel.” Here we see, that David followed a certain established order and purpose. As with all things, music must serve God even as it serves our brothers and sisters in Christ.
To help you choose the right fit for you, consider that music takes many forms and so it is with FRBC Atlanta. We have organized our music ministry in the following groups.
- Praise & worship groups
- Directed by various church members
- Main church choir
- Directed by Stefan Sârb, Mircea Tonea, Daniel Tuple
- Men’s choir
- Directed by Emil Neiconi
- Youth choir
- Directed by Ariel Cocian
- Children’s choir
- Directed by Ioana Selagea
- Calvary Brass band
- Directed by Liviu Mocuţa, Stefan Sârb
These groups represent FRBCA’s main musical organized ensembles, but we invite all of our church members to bring their musical offering in any way that glorifies, honors and praises the One Who is worthy to receive our praise. As the Psalmist David declares in Psalm 150: 6 “Let everything that has breath, Praise the Lord” Praise the Lord!”