Purpose of Salvation Army Bands Today
The primary purpose of all Salvation Army bands is to serve as an instrument to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All other activities and functions of the band are only proper when this ultimate goal is observed. The spiritual commitment of all members of the group, from the bandmaster down, must be firm if the band's purpose is to be effectively achieved.
Within the framework of the primary purpose, a brass band can be a powerful evangelistic tool. Music is capable of generating intense emotion and transmitting a message, even without words. The judicious choice of music for a worship service can set the mood and enhance the message, preparing the congregation for the desired experience.
Music is also a means to attract and hold members to the movement. Many individuals were originally introduced to The Salvation Army through the music programs. Others would have strayed from the cause if not for their interest in brass bands. Service provided by musicians often far exceeds just playing an instrument - most band members also serve in other roles in the corps.
The brass band is also an excellent means of drawing attention for fund-raising and publicity. Nothing fills a Christmas kettle faster than a quartet playing on the spot. Participation in public and civic events raises awareness of The Salvation Army and its mission in many communities.
Finally, the brass band provides a source of Christian fellowship for the players. In some cases, the primary purpose of a group is stated as fellowship. Christian fellowship is an important part of worship for many believers, and its quality within the context of working together to produce a pleasing and praising sound can be superior.
Read more about this topic: Salvation Army Brass Band
Famous quotes containing the words purpose of, purpose, salvation, army, bands and/or today:
“The purpose of punishment is to improve those who do the punishing—that is the final recourse of those who support punishment.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“The chief want, in every State that I have been into, was a high and earnest purpose in its inhabitants. This alone draws out “the great resources” of Nature, and at last taxes her beyond her resources; for man naturally dies out of her.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“I believe in human liberty as I believe in the wine of life. There is no salvation for men in the pitiful condescension of industrial masters. Guardians have no place in a land of freemen.”
—Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)
“I was interested to see how a pioneer lived on this side of the country. His life is in some respects more adventurous than that of his brother in the West; for he contends with winter as well as the wilderness, and there is a greater interval of time at least between him and the army which is to follow. Here immigration is a tide which may ebb when it has swept away the pines; there it is not a tide, but an inundation, and roads and other improvements come steadily rushing after.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“With girls, everything looks great on the surface. But beware of drawers that won’t open. They contain a three-month supply of dirty underwear, unwashed hose, and rubber bands with blobs of hair in them.”
—Erma Bombeck (20th century)
“The great majority of people in England and America are modest, decent and pure-minded and the amount of virgins in the world today is stupendous.”
—Barbara Cartland (b. 1901)