“Grace Notes” concert reaches out to its community

Franklin High School’s Jazz Band along with the Shades of Praise & Jubilation Choir of St. Therese Parish in Seattle were featured guests at Grace Notes.
Lori Matsukawa served as the master of ceremonies for the night.

Grace Notes! | By Jesse N. Love with Phyllis Reynolds

Local church concert showcases musical talent and sets a path toward future outreach in the community.

Seattle, Wash.- Grace United Methodist Church held its first – with the potential of being held annually – Grace Notes concert! This concert featured the Jazz Band from Franklin High School and the Shades of Praise & Jubilation Choir of St. Therese Parish. This event served as a night of great and powerful musical performances as well as to help support the building improvement efforts of Grace UMC.

This event took place on October 20, 2012 and was coordinated by Grace’s United Methodist Women. Lori Matsukawa served as the Master of Ceremonies for the night and kept the energy levels up in-between sets. Phyllis Reynolds also helped in developing Grace Notes and enjoyed this fun opportunity for outreach. “I think tonight we have just started on a new road,” shares Reynolds. “That includes more involvement in the community. And we were able to do that tonight, with the choir and the band. By letting people know we are available in the community to work with other organizations, I think that is a great thing. We are on our way!”

For Grace’s Pastor Larry Blackstock, Grace Notes wasn’t just a great night of music, it was a model for future events to help reach out to new people within the local community. “This kind of higher-energy event that’s attracting younger people is kind of a multi-faceted thing; the choir was a piece of it,” shares Blackstock.

Planning for Grace Notes took three months. Blackstock credits its core team for the night’s successful program: “We found a few people who were really bright-eyed and excited and they started talking about this. When you see that spark, the team is already formed – rather than say ‘Let’s do this, THEN try to get people involved.’ When you see that energy happening, it’s like God’s formed this thing for you…now, move!” For the next concert event, Blackstock hopes to target busier streets filled with more people and churches to build new partnerships with the community.

For more information on the Grace Notes concert, bit.ly/grace-notes-concert.
Special thanks to Lori Matsukawa and Mary Jo Young.
Phyllis Reynolds is a member of Grace UMC’s United Methodist Women.
Jesse N. Love serves as the print & publications manager of the PNWUMC.
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