MUSIC COORDINATOR WANTED AT BETHESDA METHODIST CHURCH
Job title: Music Coordinator
Place of work: Bethesda Methodist Church, Great Norwood Street, Cheltenham, GL50 2AP
Duration of appointment: The appointment will commence as soon as possible, and funding is in place for a period of 3 years. This initial period may be extended if further funding is secured
Hours of work: Flexible, usually on average 6 hours a week to include at least 2 Sunday mornings a month, one of which should be our All Age Worship monthly service, with additional hours for special occasions
Accountability
The Music Coordinator will be employed by Bethesda Methodist Church and will be under the supervision and line management of the Minister with pastoral charge or such other person as may be notified to you by the Church Council
Background to post
The post is being created as part of the new vision of ministry and the worshipping life of Bethesda, working alongside the Methodist Minister.
Bethesda is located in a residential/shopping area about a half mile from Cheltenham town centre. Membership is around 100 with an average Sunday attendance of 60, spanning the generations. Bethesda has long been a community that engages with the world around us through worship, arts, service and partnership. We are a Gold Eco Church and are committed to addressing the climate crisis. We aspire to be an inclusive congregation. We have a passion for social justice as an integral part of the Christian Gospel.
We celebrate the Methodist practice of an ‘open table’ at Bethesda and it is from this Christ- centred gift of radical hospitality that our understanding of all other activity through mission, service and spiritual development grows. In 2017 we reconfigured our building which now provides a place of warmth and welcome and enables the continuation and development of activities which feed people, body, mind and soul.
We welcome both traditional and contemporary expressions of worship, including format, liturgy, and music. We have a modern electronic organ as well as a concert-standard Yamaha C3 grand piano. As Methodists, we have a long history of singing our faith and draw upon the hymn writers of the past. We also enjoy annual Taizé services, and have used songs from the global Christian community, as well as more contemporary Christian worship bands. We have a newly appointed Youth & Families Worker who is developing children and youth ministry and Bethesda, and we envisage the Music Coordinator working alongside the young people in developing the use of music in worship.We hold quarterly concerts drawing in musicians from the local community to showcase their talents. We would anticipate the Music Coordinator having some creative input into these concerts.
We are looking to expand our community relationships with the groups who use our building, and to work in collaboration, knowing that music is a unifying force and brings people together. There are potential opportunities here for further development.
Main responsibilities
• To play the organ /piano a minimum of twice a month at our Sunday morning services, as well as other significant services throughout the Christian year e.g. our annual Carols by Candlelight Service, ensuring hymns are in a singable key for the congregation to sing comfortably and enjoyably and played appropriately according to the hymn style and composition;
• To support the leading of all-age, inclusive worship once a month (usually on the 4th Sunday);
• To organise the rota of musicians from within our existing team, including finding suitable people for those special services if the postholder is unavailable;
• To liaise closely with worship planners about choice of hymns and other music for services;
• To provide lead vocal and lead the congregation where appropriate for any less well-known hymns which sometimes need to be briefly taught ahead of corporate singing;
• To work with our informal existing group of singers arranging a suitable time for rehearsals, and explore the possibility of creating a more structured group to accompany music in worship;
• To develop the use of, and work with, other musicians from within the congregation, increasing their confidence in corporate worship, exploring the possibility of creating a regular worship group
• To attend quarterly worship planning meetings;
• To liaise accordingly with both a piano and organ tuner to ensure the good working order of both instruments, noting when maintenance is required;
• To organise and lead a choir for our annual Carols by Candlelight service, and explore the possibility of a choir at other services;
• To explore the possibility of working collaboratively with community groups to put on a modern musical;
• To support the ongoing values, vision, culture and collaborative leadership of Bethesda Methodist Church;
• To meet regularly with the line manager;
• To undergo safeguarding training and share with others responsibility for ensuring safeguarding of vulnerable groups in the church.
Terms and conditions
• Payment: £25 per hour – this is paid on the basis the individual will be self-employed and registered with HMRC for tax and NI purposes
• Normal working pattern: twice-monthly at Bethesda on Sunday mornings, with additional time for rehearsals and time spent researching the choice of music and where necessary checking licence conditions
• All reasonable agreed expenses will be reimbursed
• Appointment will be subject to references and a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS)
How to Apply
• Please send a covering letter of application explaining how you meet the Person Specification, along with the names and contact details of two referees, with ‘Music Coordinator’ in the Subject Line to: revrachel.leather@methodist.org.uk
Your CV is optional
• Closing date for applications: 12 noon, Friday 23rd May
• Interviews will be on: week commencing 2nd June
• Start Date: as soon as possible
Alt Image Text: Music Sheet in soft light
Image Credit: Photo by Marcel Smits on Unsplash