Southwest Baptist University News Release
Contact: Sharina Smith, Office of Marketing & Communications
BOLIVAR, Mo. – Southwest Baptist University’s 37th Annual Church Music Workshop will be held Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 3-5. Headlining the event is sacred choral music composer and arranger, Mary McDonald.
A public concert will be offered during the workshop on Friday evening, Feb. 4 at 7:30 pm in the Meyer Recital Hall on the SBU campus. Mary McDonald, Craig Adams, John Francis, and the Missouri Music Men and Brass will be featured in the concert. The concert is free and the public is encouraged to attend.
McDonald’s music has blessed choirs and congregations across the country for nearly thirty years. The unique blend of heart, hands, and humor combined with a wide range of styles keeps her in constant demand in churches, schools, conferences, and workshops across the USA.
Composer of more than 700 published anthems, McDonald has numerous musicals and keyboard collections in print. She is editorial consultant now after serving more than twenty years as editor of sacred choral music at Lorenz Corporation and also serves as organist at Central Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tenn. McDonald says one of her greatest joys has been accompanying and traveling both home and abroad with the Tennessee Men’s Chorale since 1985. In 2000, McDonald served as the first woman President of the Southern Baptist Church Music Conference. A 1978 graduate of Carson-Newman College, she is a member of the AGO and ASCAP.
Five-time Dove Award winner Craig Adams has a fiery passion for creating resources for worship ministry. It has been his roles in local church ministry that have fueled his efforts as Creative Director for Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing for nearly six years and continues to motivate him in his current role as Manager of Creative Development and Publishing for LifeWay Worship. Adams’ current responsibilities as Manager include concept development for all LifeWay Worship church music resources, song and songwriter development, contract negotiation, copyright administration, arranging, orchestrating, lifewayworship.com development, seminar leadership, and more.
Missouri Baptist Convention worship specialist John Francis is the executive director of the Missouri Music Men. He has held music ministry positions with churches in Kentucky and Missouri where he was the Minister of Music at First Baptist Church, Troy, Missouri for six years before moving to Jefferson City. Francis’ trumpet playing has been featured in recordings and films such as “Gettysburg.”
He has written and arranged for Cleff Publishing. Before his ministry, he played trumpet and Latin percussion in a touring pop group for seven years. He has also been a radio producer and program director. Worship for the individual and the congregation is a passion for Francis, and along with the trumpet theme, his key verse is from Psalm 98:6, “with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn, shout for joy before the Lord, the King.”
For more information contact Dr. Martha Hicks at 417-328-1633.
###
Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. Since 1878, the faculty and staff have created a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. The University has been named one of America’s Best Christian Colleges® for 14 consecutive years, one of America’s 100 Best College Buys® for 15 consecutive years, and it has been named among institutions with America’s Best College Scholarships ® for the past four years by Institutional Research and Evaluation, Inc.
For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu. SBU’s Office of Marketing & Communications is available to news media 24/7 at 417-399-7918.
