At the Worship Ministry Workshop on August 8 & 9 2014, a group of St Louis musicians came together to talk about their worship ministries' needs, struggles, fears, and joys. The event was put together by South City Church and New City Fellowship, and it included participation from churches of diverse ethnicity and denominations. This event was a lot of fun and a great way to get back into the fall schedule for our ministries.

What we didn't realize was that on the same night that we were worshiping together with African- American gospel musicians, Euro-American hymn writers, and Latino performers, our city was about to become the focus of all our nation's ethnic injustice and entrenched segregation. The day that a police officer in Ferguson, MO shot the unarmed, African-American 18 year old, Michael Brown, we were celebrating and enjoying our mutual inheritance as one new united voice singing praises to our Lord and Savior.

That morning, before a virtual storm broke in St Louis, Pastor Tony Myles spoke to the workshop from Romans 8 about how we are set free from our fears and our flesh to be worship leaders through our adoption as sons and daughters. You can now hear that talk on New City Music in the "Learn" section. I would recommend that any worship musician listen and be encouraged. I plan on asking all my volunteers to listen to this talk. 

Please pray for the churches in Ferguson and the whole St Louis metropolitan area to lead the way into reconciliation and restoration through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. God is on the move and through repentance, worship, and active restoration we can be part of this kingdom movement.