Joe Jackson, our church's name change, and the internet

I was twelve years old when the best pop song ever recorded, Steppin' Out by Joe Jackson, was released. It was at that point that I would begin my affinity for Jackson and his music and, not coincidentally, I was elbow-deep in my "career" as a clarinetist. In the Fall and Spring the music students at St. Charles would give a recital that we needed to prepare for quite vigorously. I remember those evenings well as we would start with the youngest students and progress our way up to the oldest, most experienced, students in the room. It was a weird feeling when the person next to me got up and did their thing signaling that I was on deck. I tried to get into the zone and deliver the best performance I could.

These recitals would often be precipitated by a trip to the music store to score some good music (usually a popular piece) that would pass muster with our music teacher. Sometimes you got to do something great and, sometimes, it was rejected. I usually scored. I was searching the internet today for sheet music and came across a site that actually had the music (in the correct key) for Steppin' Out. Now, mind you, I would have given my left arm, or at least my glass mouthpiece, for this sheet music at that time. Looking at it now I realized, yet again, how the internet has changed absolutely everything about the dissemination of information.

One of the issues that was brought up about changing the name of our church was that we were concerned about how people who were looking for a Baptist church would find us. The easy answer, and the right answer, is that our church has a substantial web presence and that our web site will give more information about the beliefs of our church than any name ever could. I think that is a good answer.

I remember when we left the church we were attending in Sodus, NY and were looking for a church in the Rochester area. We had to rely on church signs, word of mouth, and the Yellow Pages to figure out where we were going to visit next. The internet would have made our job a lot easier. It is a game changer in the search for a church as much as it is a game changer in scoring hip sheet music for the Fall recital. It has changed it permanently and, dare I say, for the better.

Those of us who are digitally connected and have lived through this transition know what this is like. It is a new world and it brings new opportunities to love God and love the world that He does. It also may allow us to strike a pose, clarinet in hand, and belt out the greatest pop song ever recorded.