2010
Randolph Cassells Charles
When The Music Touches Our Heart
A basic responsibility and opportunity of every Christian is to grow toward a more integrated life of faith, making real the relationship between our belief and our behavior, between what we proclaim on Sunday and how we live our lives on Monday. There are many methods and practices of Christian formation and theological reflection that can support us in this life journey. The Music Story Method follows a specific pattern: we listen to music, we become aware of our feelings, sometimes we have a strong emotional response to music, which may lead to a greater awareness of God, and, when we share this experience with others, we can build faith community and strengthen relationships. I interviewed twenty members of the Epiphany Community – downtown poor, downtown workers and parishioners. I studied experts on the topics of music and emotion, music and spirituality, and church and culture. I offer the following applications for local congregations: Music Story Interview, Music Prayer, Music Story Listening Groups and “When the Music Touches Our Hearts” Workshop.