Liz Yeoh, mainly music Coordinator at St Barnabas, Fendalton shares about the 20th celebration, a testimony, and the ethos of mainly music.

"Kanikani! Takahia! Pakipaki!" 

Children dancing, stomping their feet, clapping their hands, families laughing in a room filled with such joy! So much fun can be had at mainly music sessions from tapping claves, catching bean bags, waving parachutes, reaching in and out, high and low, learning about God's love and how we are special from head to toe! 

These are just some of the things that occur at mainly music sessions across churches in Christchurch, throughout New Zealand, and around the world. St Barnabas Anglican Church, Fendalton recently celebrated their 20th birthday of running mainly music. It was great to have some photos taken that truly capture the essence of a session, portraying the five values of mainly music - generosity, connection, creativity, celebration and honour!

Each week St Barnabas, Fendalton has a dedicated team of volunteers who willingly and enthusiastically come to help set up and run the session. From placing hand-written name tags on the welcome table, starting up the computer, Powerpoint and sound system, laying out streamers on the mat for our welcome song, handing out and collecting in props, like parachutes and clave sticks, getting toys out, shifting tables and serving morning tea (with baking provided by additional volunteers) and talking with young families. In addition to planning the music programme and various craft activities, there are so many roles that one can partake in on the day, and all are valuable in ensuring a smooth-running session - despite the odd hiccup with tech going haywire, of course!

As part of our 20th year celebration which took place recently at our regular Friday session, we also incorporated it into the following Sunday and heard from Dot Brown:

"... I took my own three children 25 years ago in Dunedin and now I'm taking my 18-month granddaughter, Zoe, to mainly music at St Barnabas, Fendalton. First, we enjoy going because it is fun! Singing about monkeys jumping on the bed and hot potatoes but the bean song beats them all…green beans, jelly beans and runner beans. We go on train journeys and come back again. We join the foot bone to the ankle bone, the leg bone to the hip bone and the back bone to the head bone. Anatomy hasn't changed much over the years even if train journeys have become more scarce! In this world of polarised views, greed and hate, mainly music is a safe place from all of that, which makes it refreshing and fun."

"More importantly to me, mainly music has integrity. It is a church-based programme for the community. Thirty minutes of singing followed by morning tea is such a simple model but it has been so successful at St Barnabas because it is true to the Christian faith. We sing about Jesus loving you on your birthday, we pray for you on your birthday (if you are under six!) and we sing grace. We bring Jesus into some of our songs. The culture in mainly music is unapologetically Christian. A wonderful part that speaks to this culture is the morning tea supplied and served by St Barnabas people, week in, week out for the term with volunteers who are warm and welcoming. Today, the group stands on the shoulders of the church people who started it 20 years ago. I get the impression they created the mainly music culture from the beginning and I'm sure this is the reason it has lasted the distance and is thriving. It is this integrity that brought me back to the church and I am starting to go to the Lifestream service on Sundays where I find the same friendly warm welcome and real Christian faith." 

There are many groups that run throughout the week all over Christchurch. Each mainly music group has their own style and flair, and builds on the connections made over time from previous volunteers; songs that have been sung, props and crafts that have been handmade, people who have been honoured and milestones that have been celebrated. Many a gift given, either handmade or bought, for special occasions like Easter, Mother's and Father's Days, Matariki and Christmas! It's a lot of fun planning the parties and making those sessions extra special.

1 Corinthians 12:12 says, "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ." Just so with mainly music with all the helpers involved.

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10). We couldn't run a mainly music session without the help of volunteers, the generosity of St Barnabas, Fendalton, and also the families who attend! He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata he tangata he tangata! (What is the most important thing? It is people, it is people, it is people!)

Te Aroha, te whakapono, me te rangimarie, tatou tatou e!
Love, Faith and Peace to us all!

Liz Yeoh