Dear Pastor:

"And Elisha said, . . . 'But now bring me a musician.' Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him. And he said, "Thus says the Lord . . ." (II Kings 3:14-16, NKJV).

How important is the music ministry in your church? With rare exception, services open with music ushering congregations into the presence of God. Sermons close with music as the backdrop to the altar call. Music has become an important part of the Pentecostal experience, making your music minister an essential member of your team. Imagine your services without music.

We should not take our music ministries for granted. As pastors, we often expect the perfect music at the appropriate times without considering the countless hours of preparation it takes getting ready for that moment. Songs must be selected and learned, musicians chosen, practices slated, and personalities managed. Just as we, as pastors, spend hours of prayerful devotion preparing for a sermon, so must music ministers prepare their teams for any move of the Spirit, whatever direction the service may take.

MyHopeRadio.com, a ministry of the United Pentecostal Church International, is pleased to announce Music Minister Appreciation Day. On April 28, 2013, you can publicly declare your gratitude for the music minister(s) in your church. In addition to a proclamation of appreciation to be read before your congregation, you can download a certificate containing my signature through MyHopeRadio.com. Let your worship leaders and their teams know how much you appreciate their contributions.

"Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord" (Psalm 150:2-6).

Sincerely in Christ,  

David K. Bernard

General Superintendent of the UPCI